Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published November 6, 2026
The U.S. military coordinated with the Venezuelan military last week to launch a series of drone strikes against cartel operations in rural Venezuela. The target was the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group that the United States and other allies designate as a terrorist organization.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also supported the operation. A Venezuelan military source cited by Breitbart identified the CIA and FBI as involved in coordinating the strikes. Reports said the attack took place over the weekend. According to local news reports, it killed up to 20 cartel members. The casualty figures and operational details come from media reports and have not been independently verified.
Part of a wider regional effort
Venezuela is the most recent Latin American nation to partner with the United States in the Shield of the Americas effort to counter cartel activities and operations. The initiative has recruited over a dozen Latin American countries, and the U.S. military has also increased its presence in other drug-haven countries such as Colombia. In addition to drone strikes, U.S. troops have carried out joint operations against cartels elsewhere.
The strikes come after a year of escalating U.S. military action involving Venezuela. In October 2025, the administration notified Congress that the United States was in a “non-international armed conflict” with cartels it had designated as terrorist organizations. By late December 2025, the U.S. had carried out dozens of strikes on alleged drug boats, and legal scholars and rights groups widely considered them illegal under U.S. and international law. That month, the CIA was reported to be behind a drone strike on a Venezuelan dock believed to be used by drug cartels, the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil.
Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is now in a U.S. jail awaiting trial on drug charges. His government had long rejected U.S. accusations. Maduro repeatedly argued that the U.S. was using cartel threats as a pretext for regime change.
Legal and political questions
Several senators and human rights groups have questioned the legality of earlier U.S. strikes, describing them as a potential overreach of executive authority. Senate Republicans voted down legislation that would have required congressional authorization for further strikes. Supporters of the campaign say it targets groups that finance violence through drug trafficking. As of publication, neither government had released a detailed public account of the latest strikes. Some of the reporting comes from outlets with a pronounced editorial perspective, so details may change as more information emerges. (PBS)
