The United States and Venezuela appear to be edging closer to direct confrontation. At the same time, some of America’s closest allies are questioning the legality of U.S. strikes on speedboats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean.
Over the last week or so, conflicting reports emerged about whether some allies are withholding intelligence from U.S. counterparts because of the strikes. While Washington denies any loss of cooperation, the controversy underscores how quickly the situation has escalated since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office on Jan. 20 and began setting the legal and military groundwork for what is now a sprawling campaign across the Caribbean.
How the crisis started
The chain of events goes back to Inauguration Day, when Trump signed an executive order enabling several South American cartels to be designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. In February, the administration formally declared eight Latin American criminal organizations as FTOs.
The military buildup soon followed. U.S. warships, aircraft and surveillance assets surged into the Caribbean in August. On Sept. 2, the United States carried out its first publicly acknowledged strike on a small vessel suspected of drug trafficking.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
A month later, after intense debate in Washington and among allies about the legality of the operations, Trump sent a memo to Congress saying the United States was now engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with the newly designated cartels. He asserted anyone working for or with the groups could be legally targeted as “unlawful combatants.”
The administration argued the strikes are justified under a nation’s right to self-defense. Critics — including Democrats and some Republicans — say the legal rationale is thin and contend the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said the attacks have “no justification in international law.”
Intelligence-sharing dispute
The controversy over intelligence sharing erupted after CNN reported the United Kingdom halted cooperation with the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Florida, allegedly over concerns the U.S. strikes were illegal.
But British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper publicly denied the report. According to The Sun, Cooper said intelligence sharing “continues” and suggested claims to the contrary were “fake news.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also dismissed the CNN report, saying that “nothing has changed.”
France has taken a different tack, calling the U.S. strikes flatly illegal, though French and U.S. intelligence sharing continues.
Colombia, however, has halted cooperation. Colombian President Gustavo Petro argues “the fight against drugs must be subordinated to the human rights of the Caribbean people.”
The Netherlands also restricted some intelligence sharing with the U.S., though Dutch officials said the shift stems from broader concerns that certain intelligence might contribute to “human rights violations,” or could potentially assist Russia in some instances.
Growing death toll
Since September, there have been 21 known U.S. strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Those strikes killed between 76 and 83 people and possibly more.
The U.S. has not publicly released evidence showing that the destroyed vessels were transporting narcotics. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly defended the operations as essential to “protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists.”
But skepticism persists. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., told Time that he is “troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation,” warning that militarizing the drug war could result in “direct military conflict with Venezuela.”
Military buildup signals something larger
Even as controversy grows, U.S. forces continue assembling the largest military presence in the Caribbean since the 1994 Haiti intervention.
The United States is also upgrading the long-abandoned Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico, repaving taxiways and expanding airport facilities on Puerto Rico and St. Croix. Experts said those moves could support military operations inside Venezuela.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier strike group, carrying roughly 10,000 personnel, is also in the region. The Trump administration has deployed at least 13 warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to Caribbean waters since August.
One U.S. official told Reuters the buildup offers “a large amount of space for gathering equipment” and could easily support expanded or sustained operations.
Concern over land-based targets
Up to this point, all U.S. strikes took place in international waters of the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. However, U.S. officials and Trump himself have already suggested pivoting to targets within Venezuelan territory like cartel-linked drug labs, militia camps or Venezuelan military facilities.
Hegseth said Operation Southern Spear will target “narco-terrorists” across the Western Hemisphere. Some U.S. officials told The Sun the campaign may aim to dismantle the “cartel-militia networks across Venezuela.”
As debate grows over whether the United States would be justified in targeting sites on Venezuelan soil, several allies may reconsider their positions when it comes to sharing intelligence.
The Colombia connection
Colombia’s shift away from cooperation has become one of the most significant diplomatic developments. Petro, the country’s president, accused the United States of killing a Colombian fisherman who “had no ties to the drug trade,” after a strike targeted a boat allegedly linked to a Colombian rebel group.
“They are neither terrorists nor drug traffickers,” Petro said. “Rubio and Trump are completely wrong.”
In response, the Treasury Department sanctioned Petro and what it called his “support network,” accusing him of allowing drug cartels to “flourish.”
Colombia recalled its U.S. ambassador amid the dispute.
Congressional pushback
Multiple Democratic-led efforts in Congress sought to restrict Trump’s authority over Operation Southern Spear. All failed.
The Senate rejected a measure requiring congressional approval for any military action against Venezuela. Critics warn that without such limits, boat strikes could evolve into a broader regional conflict.
Trump himself sent mixed signals. In interviews, he has denied wanting an “all-out war,” but has also said he has “sort of made up my mind” on Venezuela’s future and refused to rule out land strikes.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, is accusing the United States of “fabricating a new war” and is preparing Venezuelan defenses.
