Sep 2, 2025 – The U.S. Navy fires missiles at a vessel off Venezuela suspected of carrying cocaine, then orders a second strike that kills two survivors clinging to the wreckage, prompting congressional requests for the execution order and rules of engagement [28].

Sep 5, 2025 – The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issues a 40‑page opinion classifying drug trafficking as a terrorist activity, giving the military legal cover to use lethal force against “designated terrorist organizations” [28].

Dec 4, 2025 – After a three‑week pause, the 22nd “Southern Spear” strike hits a small Eastern Pacific vessel, killing four and raising the cumulative death toll to at least 87; bipartisan investigations into the campaign’s legality intensify [25].

Dec 10, 2025 – Survivors of earlier boat strikes receive disparate treatment: some are rescued, while others are allegedly killed in a follow‑on “double‑tap” ordered by Admiral Bradley, sparking expert criticism that the actions may breach the law of armed conflict [24].

Dec 15, 2025 – U.S. forces strike three drug‑smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific, killing eight men (three, two, and three on each vessel) and labeling the targets “designated terrorist organizations” despite providing no public evidence of narcotics links [27].

Dec 17, 2025 – Four men are killed when a kinetic strike hits a suspected narco‑terrorist vessel; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders the attack, and President Trump later claims a “94 % drop in drug shipments by sea” [22].

Dec 18, 2025 – A series of strikes on two vessels kills five people, pushing the overall death toll from the campaign past 100; House Republicans reject Democratic resolutions demanding congressional authorization for further strikes [20].

Dec 22, 2025 – A low‑profile Eastern Pacific vessel is hit, killing one person; the Pentagon posts video of the explosion and repeats the claim that the boat was on a known narco‑trafficking route [18].

Dec 23, 2025 – Another low‑profile vessel is struck, killing one; President Trump warns Venezuela’s Maduro that the U.S. has a “massive armada” in South America and that further resistance will be the “last time” [18].

Dec 29, 2025 – A kinetic strike on a suspected drug boat in international waters kills two men; the operation is directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and described as targeting a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations [17].

Dec 30, 2025 – Two consecutive days of strikes on New Year’s Eve kill five people aboard two boats, part of a three‑day campaign that also saw a Monday strike kill two in the Eastern Pacific [15].

Dec 31, 2025 – A second New Year’s Eve strike hits two boats, killing five more crew members and prompting the Coast Guard to launch a search‑and‑rescue effort [15].

Jan 2, 2026 – The U.S. Coast Guard suspends a 65‑hour search for survivors after a convoy strike near the Mexico‑Guatemala border, citing exhausted resources and a low probability of finding anyone alive [13].

Early Jan 2026 – U.S. forces capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife aboard the USS Iwo Jima, transporting them to New York for narco‑terrorism charges; the operation coincides with a surge in maritime strikes aimed at pressuring Caracas [7].

Jan 23, 2026 – The first lethal strike since the Maduro raid hits a suspected drug‑trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two and leaving one survivor; Southern Command alerts the Coast Guard for a rescue, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is credited with directing the operation on X [10].

Feb 5, 2026 – Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducts a kinetic strike on a vessel identified as a Designated Terrorist Organization, killing two; the attack is ordered by newly appointed SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, who assumes command the same day [9].

Feb 6, 2026 – A strike on an Eastern Pacific drug boat kills two; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posts that “some top cartel drug‑traffickers… have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY,” while families of two Trinidadian victims file a wrongful‑death lawsuit alleging unlawful killings [8][9].

Feb 10, 2026 – Marine Lance Corporal Chukwuemeka Oforah dies after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima during the Maduro capture operation, marking the first U.S. casualty in the region and triggering a 72‑hour search involving five Navy ships and ten aircraft [7].

Feb 17, 2026 – U.S. forces strike three alleged drug‑trafficking boats (two in the Pacific, one in the Caribbean), killing all 11 occupants; a classified legal memo released last fall authorizes lethal force against a secret list of at least two dozen cartels, and the campaign death toll rises to 135 [5].

Feb 18, 2026 – Another set of strikes kills 11 (eight in the Pacific, three in the Caribbean), bringing the cumulative death count to at least 145; lawmakers intensify criticism, labeling the attacks “civilian murders” and linking them to the broader pressure campaign on Maduro [7].

Feb 20, 2026 – A kinetic strike in the Eastern Pacific kills three suspected narco‑terrorists; the operation is ordered by Gen. Francis L. Donovan and marks the sixth publicly known boat attack of 2026 [4].

Feb 21, 2026 – Southern Command releases video confirming the Feb 20 strike as the second fatal Pacific attack that week, noting no U.S. personnel are injured and raising the overall Operation Southern Spear death toll to 138; the White House asserts the campaign does “more for the victims than Democrats ever did,” while Congress continues intensive scrutiny [6][1].