Though touting himself as the peace president, President Donald Trump has also not been afraid to unleash lethal rocket strikes on U.S. enemies when he feels the need arises.

In 2025, Trump ordered strikes on nine different countries and regions in the interest of furthering U.S. national security.

Here are the countries, groups and regions that felt the power of the U.S. military in action this year.

Somalia terrorists targeted

Throughout the year, the U.S. has continued to conduct airstrikes against ISIS factions and al-Shabaab in Somalia.

According to a U.S. Africa Command statement, a Feb. 1 airstrike targeting a series of cave complexes in northern Somalia killed 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives, including Ahmed Maeleninine, a key ISIS recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for deploying militants into the U.S. and across Europe.  

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Houthis in Yemen

Thousands of miles from U.S. sovereign territory, the Trump Department of War unleashed lethal strikes on Iran-backed Houthi terror fighters in Yemen as part of a mission dubbed «Operation Rough Rider.» The strikes were in response to attacks against U.S. military and commercial vessels traveling through the Red Sea.

Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Department of War, said in May that U.S. Central Command strikes had been carried out since March and that they had «hit over 1,000 targets, killing Houthi fighters and leaders and degrading their capabilities.»

Parnell called the strikes «hugely successful.» On May 6, the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire with the U.S. and the fighters have not carried out any attacks on U.S. vessels since, though they have targeted ships from other nations.

Top ISIS leader killed in Iraq

On March 13, U.S. Central Command carried out an airstrike in Iraq’s Al Anbar province that killed the number two ISIS leader, Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, and another ISIS operative.

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This image shows an aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 15. (U.S. Navy via AP)

Midnight Hammer targets Iran’s nuclear capabilities

At Trump’s direction, the U.S. military launched a strike on three Iranian nuclear sites in a mission that went from June 21 to 22.

During the operation, called «Midnight Hammer,» B-2 stealth bombers departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and dropped over a dozen bunker buster bombs and launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles on key Iranian nuclear sites.

According to the Pentagon, the strikes decimated Iran’s nuclear capabilities and led to a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The operation, however, was highly controversial, with some Democratic lawmakers accusing Trump of escalating tensions and downplaying the effectiveness of the strikes.

Iran launched a counterattack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, but there were no reported casualties.

Cartel drug boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific

As part of what the Department of War dubbed «Operation Southern Spear,» the U.S. unleashed 33 strikes on drug boats traveling in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing over 100 traffickers.

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President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social in September that he ordered a lethal strike on a vessel linked to a designated terrorist organization operating in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

The strikes garnered significant criticism, with some Democrats accusing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of war crimes. The Pentagon described the operation as a counter-narco-terrorism campaign against designated terror organizations «taken in defense of vital U.S. national interests and to protect the homeland.»

Operation Hawkeye in Syria

In response to two U.S. servicemembers being killed in Syria, the U.S. unleashed Operation Hawkeye on Dec.19. U.S. and allied forces employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting over 70 known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria, resulting in the deaths or detention of 23 terrorist operatives.

Hegseth called the airstrikes «a declaration of vengeance» in direct response to the ISIS attack that took place on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria.

According to Central Command, U.S. and partner forces in Syria have conducted operations during the last 12 months that resulted in more than 300 terrorists being detained.

Christmas night strikes in Nigeria

On Christmas night, the U.S. launched strikes on ISIS-linked military forces in coordination with the Nigerian government in Sokoto State, in northwestern Nigeria.

Trump said he ordered U.S. airstrikes in northwest Nigeria against ISIS militants who he says, «have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years.»

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US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem look on as US President Donald Trump speaks to the press on Aug. 25, 2025.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump takes drug war to Venezuela proper

Following months of escalation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, this week Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. carried out a strike on drug operations inside Venezuela.

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Speaking with reporters on Monday, he said, «There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement. And that is no longer around.»

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday released nighttime video footage it claimed shows the wreckage of a Ukrainian drone intercepted during an attempted attack on a residence used by President Vladimir Putin.

The video, filmed in a snow-covered, forested area in Russia, shows a Russian serviceman standing over debris that Moscow said belongs to a Ukrainian-made Chaklun-V drone.

Russian officials also said the drone was shot down before it could strike Putin’s residence near Lake Valdai in the Novgorod region and was carrying a six-kilogram explosive device that failed to detonate.

The footage was released as Moscow faced mounting skepticism over its account of events.

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The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that U.S. national security officials concluded Ukraine did not target Putin or any of his residences in the alleged drone incident.

The Journal said the finding was supported by a CIA assessment that determined no attempted attack on Putin occurred, citing a U.S. official briefed on the intelligence.

Instead, Ukraine, they said, was believed to be targeting a military site it had previously struck in the same region but not near Putin’s residence, the official said.

Ukrainian officials have continued to reject the allegations, with a military drone expert claiming the video provided little evidence of an attempted strike on one of Russia’s most heavily secured locations.

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Russia releases drone footage of the alleged Ukraine attack on Putin’s residence. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

«This footage, unfortunately, does not offer proof of anything other than that there is a wrecked drone on the ground somewhere being stood over by a Russian serviceman,» Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital.

Chell, whose firm supplies drones to the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies, said the drone shown in the video looked ill-suited for such a mission.

«The attacks that occurred on Dec. 29 were also hundreds of kilometers away,» he added.

«The engines on the drone in this new footage are very small, and though capable of multiple hours of flight with the type of fixed-wing drone displayed, it would be extremely slow and unsophisticated.

«This drone is not untypical of many Ukraine drones, but these would only be used for infrastructure targets and woefully ineffective in an attack on a facility the likes of Putin’s residence,» Chell concluded.

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The Russian Defense ministry shows a downed drone after an alleged drone attack on Putin’s residence. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters )

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi also dismissed the footage as «laughable,» saying Kyiv was «absolutely confident that no such attack took place,» according to Reuters.

Russia alleges the drone was part of a broader Ukrainian operation targeting Putin’s residence earlier this week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted 91 drones had been intercepted en route to Putin’s residence, a figure that appeared to conflict with earlier Defense Ministry statements.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward. 

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A Ukrainian air intelligence soldier carries a drone in the direction of Bakhmut, Ukraine, May 10, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Only after Lavrov’s remarks did the Defense Ministry claim that 49 drones intercepted over Bryansk — nearly 300 miles from Valdai — were also targeting the presidential residence.

The ministry initially reported that 89 drones were shot down across eight regions, including 18 over Novgorod, before revising the numbers upward. 

The timing of the allegations has also drawn scrutiny, coming shortly after what Moscow described publicly as a positive meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.

Zelenskyy also called the alleged drone attack a «complete fabrication,» saying it was designed to justify further Russian strikes and undermine diplomatic efforts.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukraine’s denials and said Moscow would toughen its diplomatic stance.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Las fuerzas separatistas del sur de Yemen han consolidado su control sobre amplias zonas del territorio este mes, intensificando los cambios en el mapa político de un país marcado por más de diez años de conflicto armado. Según declaraciones de Anwar Al-Tamimi, portavoz del Consejo de Transición del Sur (STC, por sus siglas en inglés), recogidas por AFP, el movimiento mantiene su objetivo de establecer un nuevo Estado, aunque la secesión se llevará a cabo únicamente cuando las circunstancias sean propicias. Los acontecimientos recientes han incrementado la determinación de los separatistas, quienes aseguran estar preparados para restaurar el antiguo Estado del sur en el momento que consideren adecuado, ya sea a corto, medio o largo plazo.

La ofensiva relámpago de diciembre permitió al STC tomar casi todo el territorio que abarcaba el antiguo Yemen del Sur, que existió como Estado independiente entre 1967 y 1990, antes de su unificación con el norte.

A pesar de una serie de ataques aéreos dirigidos contra sus posiciones y de la presión diplomática de Arabia Saudita para que cedan el control de las áreas recientemente capturadas, en especial las situadas a lo largo de la frontera meridional, el STC ha reiterado su intención de mantener y fortalecer sus posiciones. “Lo sucedido recientemente ha hecho que los sureños estén más decididos —psicológica y emocionalmente— a restaurar el Estado”, afirmó Tamimi en una entrevista en Abu Dabi con AFP. El portavoz subrayó que el calendario para la secesión dependerá de factores históricos, internacionales y regionales.

Fuentes citadas por AFP indican que los recientes logros militares del STC han sido motivo de incomodidad para Arabia Saudita, principal apoyo del gobierno yemení reconocido internacionalmente. Riad ha exigido en reiteradas ocasiones la retirada del STC de los territorios ocupados y ha intensificado sus operaciones aéreas en la zona. Además, la coalición saudí atacó el martes un presunto cargamento de armas procedente de los EAU en un puerto controlado por el STC y solicitó a Abu Dabi la retirada de sus fuerzas de Yemen en un plazo de 24 horas, a lo que los Emiratos accedieron.

La coalición liderada por los EAU que integra el STC mantiene desde hace años la aspiración de restablecer el Estado del Sur. Actualmente, el STC controla más territorio que cualquier otra facción individual en el fragmentado escenario político yemení.

Las tropas de Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) comenzaron a abandonar este miércoles el aeropuerto internacional de Al Riyan-Mukalla, en la provincia de Hadramut, al este de Yemen, tras recibir un ultimátum de Arabia Saudita relacionado con el supuesto apoyo emiratí a los secesionistas del sur, según informó la televisión oficial yemení, medio bajo control del Gobierno reconocido internacionalmente. La retirada, que incluye el despegue de cuatro aviones de carga militar con cientos de soldados, equipo pesado y sistemas técnicos, se produce en un contexto de escalada de tensiones entre los gobiernos de Yemen y EAU, ambos miembros de la coalición militar liderada por Riad.

La televisión oficial yemení, que ayer había dado un plazo de 24 horas para la salida de las fuerzas emiratíes, afirmó que este movimiento busca “reorganizar el despliegue militar y garantizar la gestión de instalaciones vitales bajo el paraguas de la coalición militar” liderada por Arabia Saudita.

Imágenes de aviones militares despegando del aeropuerto de Al Riyan circularon en redes sociales y fueron citadas por la televisión yemení como corroboración de la retirada, aunque dichas imágenes no han podido ser verificadas de manera independiente. Hasta el momento, las autoridades de EAU no han realizado declaraciones públicas respecto a estos acontecimientos.

La retirada tiene lugar tras la decisión de Rashad al Alimi, líder del Consejo de Liderazgo Presidencial y máximo representante del Gobierno yemení, de cancelar un acuerdo de defensa con Abu Dabi y ordenar la salida inmediata de todas las fuerzas emiratíes del territorio yemení. Al Alimi instruyó además a las autoridades locales para que asumieran el control de las instalaciones militares y de seguridad que hasta ahora estaban bajo supervisión emiratí.

Las fricciones recientes han estado motivadas por el respaldo de EAU al Consejo de Transición del Sur (CTS), grupo separatista que controla extensas áreas del sur de Yemen, incluida Adén, sede provisional del Gobierno yemení tras la ocupación de Saná por los rebeldes hutíes hace más de una década. Tanto la coalición liderada por Arabia Saudita como oficiales yemeníes han acusado por primera vez a EAU de apoyar abiertamente a los secesionistas, debilitando las instituciones estatales y comprometiendo la estabilidad interna del país.

La tensión se agravó cuando la coalición saudí atacó la madrugada del martes un cargamento en el puerto de Mukalla procedente de EAU, que según la versión oficial contenía “armas y vehículos militares” introducidos “violando los procedimientos establecidos, sin autorización del Gobierno yemení ni del mando de la coalición”. Abu Dabi ha negado estas acusaciones.

(Con información de AFP y EFE)