Trump’s military action sparks regional alarm as Venezuela braces

18 NOVEMBER 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth, fired off a tweet, declaring a new military operation, “Spear of the South”, against “narco-terrorists in the Western hemisphere”.
The Trump government went a step further as it announced that a Venezuelan criminal group would be classified as a terrorist organisation and that it views President Nicolas Maduro as “the head of that cartel”.
Washington still consumed by the uproar over the Epstein files—the decision is seen in the region as a major escalation for a possible strike on Venezuela.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has moved massive firepower into the Caribbean: more than 15,000 personnel, a dozen warships, the biggest aircraft carrier and a submarine; more than 10 F-35s have also been stationed at Puerto Rico.