Pentagon watchdog opens probe into Operation Southern Spear strikes

The Department of Defense Inspector General opened a formal probe into Operation Southern Spear strikes in November 2025, examining whether U.S. military forces followed proper rules of engagement in conducting lethal strikes on vessels in international waters. Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had formally characterized the strikes as extrajudicial killings. The Naval Institute's Proceedings journal published a December 2025 analysis concluding that the operation lacked a credible legal basis under international law.