Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on Dec. 22 on a low-profile vessel operated by designated terrorist organizations along narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific international waters, killing one male narco-terrorist at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Southern Command announced over the past hour. Intelligence confirmed the vessel's involvement in narco-trafficking operations, with no U.S. military forces harmed during the action under #OpSouthernSpear, according to the SOUTHCOM statement posted at https://x.com/Southcom/status/2003303616963133694. Amid heightened regional military activity, at least 13 F-35 fighter planes flew over Puerto Rico and military aircraft movements were recorded in Trinidad and Tobago, as reported by journalist Nando Curbelo RodrÃguez and X user @eduardomenoni in posts during the reporting window ending 3:45 a.m. UTC Dec. 23. Separately, 15-25 F-22s took off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, per @itzw3z907. President Donald Trump stated a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker fled into the Atlantic Ocean after a U.S. Coast Guard seizure attempt, marking the third such targeting in less than two weeks, according to ABC News as posted by @ABCWorldNews. This follows Trump's earlier comment relayed by White House pooler Sam Waldenberg that U.S. forces will 'end up getting' the third tanker under pursuit off Venezuela's coast.
