U.S. Military and Latin America

U.S. Southern Command posted unclassified video of a Dec. 4 Eastern Pacific strike it said killed four people aboard a narcotics‑smuggling vessel operated by a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” calling it the 22nd strike under Operation Southern Spear and the first maritime strike since Nov. 15. The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the attack, which brings the campaign’s reported death toll to roughly 86–87 and comes amid a wider U.S. military buildup and congressional scrutiny over the legal basis and conduct of the strikes.