A new operation against drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere, dubbed “South Shore,” has begun, Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on the social media platform X.
“This mission will protect our homeland, remove narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and secure our country from the drugs that are killing our people. The Western Hemisphere is American territory, and we will defend it. American warships are already deployed off the coast of Venezuela,” Hegseth stated.
Since early September, American ships have regularly struck vessels in international waters that Washington suspects of ties to Venezuelan drug cartels. Meanwhile, citing the fight against drug trafficking, the US has deployed a group of ships off the coast of Venezuela and sent destroyers to Puerto Rico.
According to The New York Times, Washington has developed several scenarios for escalating the conflict, including the violent removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power.