# U.S. Drone Strikes Hit ELN Cartel Targets in Rural Venezuela in Coordination With the Venezuelan Military, Breitbart Texas Reports

Breitbart Texas says the weekend strikes targeted the National Liberation Army, which the U.S. and EU label a terrorist group. Local reports cited by Breitbart put the death toll at up to 20. We could not confirm that figure.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-11-05
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/us-drone-strikes-venezuela-eln-cartel-shield-of-the-americas-venezuelan-military-up-to-20-killed-breitbart/

The U.S. campaign against cartels has reached Venezuela, Breitbart Texas reports.

What happened. Breitbart's Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby write that the U.S. military carried out a series of drone strikes over the weekend in a rural part of Venezuela. The targets were operations of the National Liberation Army, known as the ELN. Breitbart says the Venezuelan military moved in to secure the area, and that the strikes were coordinated with it.

The target. The ELN began in Colombia. Breitbart says the United States, the European Union and other countries designate it a terrorist organization, and that it has been behind some of Colombia's worst terrorist attacks and uses drug trafficking to pay for its operations.

The toll. Citing local news reports, Breitbart says the strikes killed up to 20 cartel members and that graphic videos on social media show the aftermath. We did not see those videos and cannot confirm the number.

The wider effort. Breitbart says the strikes come as the U.S. military increases its presence in Colombia and other countries that were drug havens, under an effort called the Shield of the Americas, which it says has recruited more than a dozen Latin American countries. It notes that U.S. troops have also run joint operations against cartels elsewhere, and that former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is in a U.S. jail awaiting trial on drug charges.

Why it matters here. If Breitbart's account holds, it places a U.S. military operation on Venezuelan soil with the Venezuelan military's cooperation, a notable change given that Maduro is in U.S. custody. We covered the Homeland Security Task Force's border work separately today.

What we could not check. We read Breitbart's account only. It does not name a U.S. or Venezuelan official, the exact location, or the date of the strike, and we could not find a Pentagon statement. The death toll rests on unnamed local reports. Breitbart's description of the ELN as hiding behind a "leftist freedom-fighting" guise is its characterization.

## Source

Original reporting: [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/11/05/u-s-begins-cartel-drone-strikes-in-former-cartel-haven-venezuela/)