Inside Trump’s second-term military playbook: Strikes, raids and global interventions

Though helium campaigned against the overseas entanglements of past presidents, President Donald Trump has shown small hesitation successful deploying American subject powerfulness during his 2nd term.

Since returning to the White House successful 2025, Trump has authorised a drawstring of operations stretching from the Middle East and Africa to Latin America.The interventions scope from counterterrorism strikes successful Somalia and Iraq to a melodramatic commando raid that captured Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro, and astir recently, a large US-Israel subject run against Iran.While the White House insists its actions align with a narrower explanation of nationalist interest, critics reason the increasing database of operations suggests a acold much interventionist posture.US–Israel warfare against IranThe astir melodramatic escalation came connected February 28, erstwhile the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes crossed Iran targeting subject installations and elder leadership.One onslaught deed a compound successful Tehran lodging the offices of the ayatollah, the Iranian presidency and the nationalist information apparatus. The onslaught killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sending shockwaves crossed the region.Iran retaliated swiftly. Missiles were fired astatine Israeli targets and US subject facilities crossed the Middle East.

One onslaught connected a basal successful Kuwait killed 4 American work members.Tehran besides widened the battlefield by hitting civilian infrastructure successful Gulf states, including the Fairmont edifice successful Dubai and Kuwait International Airport, signalling an unprecedented enlargement of the conflict.

Trump has warned the run could proceed for weeks. According to the president, the cognition aims to destruct Iran’s rocket arsenal, cripple its naval forces, forestall the state from acquiring atomic weapons and dismantle its web of determination proxies.Officials successful Washington person offered conflicting signals connected whether the United States would judge a caller Iranian enactment oregon propulsion for the illness of the Islamic Republic altogether.Tensions had been rising since January 2026, erstwhile the Iranian authorities violently suppressed wide protests. Trump initially threatened involution but aboriginal softened his code portion negotiations continued.Talks mediated by Oman successful Geneva and Muscat appeared adjacent to a breakthrough connected February 26, with mediators claiming Iran was acceptable to halt uranium enrichment.Just 2 days later, however, US and Israeli craft struck Iran. Trump aboriginal said Tehran posed a nonstop menace to “core [US] nationalist information interests.”Venezuela: The seizure of MaduroIn 1 of the astir melodramatic episodes of Trump’s 2nd term, US forces launched a daring cognition connected January 3, 2026, extracting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro from Caracas.The mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, progressive US peculiar forces and instrumentality enforcement officers storming Maduro’s heavy guarded compound.Roughly seventy-five Venezuelan and Cuban guards were killed during the raid. Maduro and his woman were flown to New York, wherever helium present faces narcoterrorism charges.The semipermanent US subject beingness successful Venezuela remains uncertain. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined a three-phase program designed to unit the remaining authorities figures, including interim president Delcy Rodríguez, into complying with US demands.Washington is seeking sweeping reforms to Venezuela’s lipid sector, the removal of advisers from China, Cuba, Iran and Russia, and the merchandise of governmental prisoners.Initially, the White House framed the run arsenic a counter-narcotics mission. Beginning successful September 2025, US forces targeted suspected cause trafficking vessels successful the Caribbean earlier expanding operations into the Pacific.Throughout the buildup, officials insisted the United States was not pursuing authorities change.

Yet astatine a property league announcing Maduro’s capture, Trump openly linked the ngo to Venezuela’s immense lipid reserves.Iran: Strikes connected Nuclear FacilitiesThe warfare with Iran did not statesman successful February. It followed an earlier escalation successful June 2025.On June 12, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared Iran was breaching its atomic commitments and could scope weapons-grade uranium enrichment wrong 2 weeks.The pursuing day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sweeping run against Iranian atomic and subject targets.Ten days later, the United States joined the offensive.On June 22, US B-2 stealth bombers dropped bunker-busting munitions connected underground atomic facilities astatine Fordow and Natanz, portion a US submarine fired cruise missiles astatine Isfahan.Trump aboriginal declared that Operation Midnight Hammer had “completely and wholly obliterated” Iran’s enrichment infrastructure.A consequent US quality appraisal offered a much cautious conclusion, suggesting the strikes delayed Iran’s atomic programme by lone a fewer months alternatively than eliminating it entirely.Syria: Retaliation aft deadly attackIn December 2025, US Central Command launched Operation Hawkeye Strike aft an onslaught adjacent Palmyra killed 2 American soldiers and a civilian interpreter.The cognition targeted much than seventy ISIS sites crossed cardinal Syria, including weapons depots and infrastructure.Trump blamed ISIS for the onslaught and vowed “serious retaliation.”Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the run arsenic “a declaration of vengeance”, promising the United States would proceed to “hunt” and “kill” its enemies.US forces aboriginal expanded the run connected January 10, 2026, striking thirty-five further ISIS positions.Despite the strikes, the occurrence highlighted the analyzable information situation successful Syria.

Syrian officials aboriginal revealed the attacker was a subordinate of their ain information forces who had been facing dismissal implicit extremist views.Nigeria: US bombs ISIS targetsThe United States besides expanded its counterterrorism operations successful Nigeria, wherever jihadist unit has plagued the country’s bluish regions for years.In October 2025, Trump redesignated Nigeria arsenic a Country of Particular Concern nether the International Religious Freedom Act, citing attacks against Christian communities.Nigeria’s authorities rejected the characterisation, arguing militant groups routinely people civilians careless of religion.On December 25, Trump announced that US forces had struck sixteen ISIS-linked targets successful Sokoto authorities utilizing guided missiles.The strikes were conducted successful coordination with the Nigerian government, and some sides signalled the anticipation of further operations.Somalia: Intensified counterterrorism campaignAnother large theatre of operations has been Somalia, wherever the Trump medication importantly expanded US subject activity.Beginning successful February 2025, American forces intensified strikes against al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, and ISIS-Somalia, a smaller offshoot operating successful the country’s north-east.According to the Washington-based deliberation vessel New America, the United States conducted 126 operations successful Somalia during 2025, sidesplitting astir 2 100 militants.The run represents a melodramatic escalation. In that azygous year, the US carried retired much operations than during the combined administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and

Joe Biden

.Trump officials accidental the nonsubjective is to destruct violent groups susceptible of threatening the United States and its allies.Yet the semipermanent interaction remains uncertain. Al-Shabaab continues to summation crushed against Somali authorities forces and has pushed person to the capital, Mogadishu.Iraq: Precision onslaught against ISIS leaderThe Trump medication besides maintained unit connected ISIS successful Iraq.On March 13, 2025, US Central Command conducted a precision aerial onslaught successful Al Anbar province, sidesplitting Abdallah “Abu Khadijah” Makki Muslih al-Rifai, the group’s second-in-command.The militant was wide regarded arsenic 1 of the astir unsafe ISIS leaders, overseeing planetary operations and financing.General Michael Kurilla, past commandant of CENTCOM, said the onslaught was portion of ongoing efforts to dismantle organisations that “threaten our homeland and US, allied, and spouse unit successful the portion and beyond.”Trump praised the cognition connected Truth Social, describing it arsenic different illustration of his “peace done strength” doctrine.The strikes signifier portion of Operation Inherent Resolve, the anti-ISIS run launched successful 2014 aft the radical seized ample parts of Iraq, including Mosul.Yemen: Escalation against the houthisUS subject operations besides intensified successful Yemen, wherever Iran-backed Houthi rebels person targeted shipping successful the Red Sea and launched attacks against Israel.Following Trump’s instrumentality to office, CENTCOM launched Operation Rough Rider successful March 2025, dramatically expanding aerial strikes against Houthi positions.The run deployed 2 US bearer onslaught groups and ample amounts of airpower.While the strikes degraded the Houthis’ drone and rocket capabilities, they did not halt the group’s attacks connected shipping lanes.The cognition besides came astatine a precocious cost. Houthi retaliation destroyed respective US Reaper drones, and 2 precocious combatant craft were mislaid astatine oversea portion operating from a carrier.Congressional estimates spot the outgo of the run astatine much than $1 cardinal earlier the White House abruptly ended it successful May 2025.Houthi attacks aboriginal subsided aft a Gaza ceasefire was announced successful October 2025.A narrower doctrine oregon expanding power?The Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy argues that erstwhile presidents defined US interests excessively broadly, starring to overextension abroad.The papers states that “the affairs of different countries are our interest lone if their activities straight endanger our interests.”Yet Trump’s increasing database of subject interventions suggests a broader mentation of what constitutes specified a threat.For supporters, the attack reflects the president’s content successful decisive unit and deterrence.For critics, it signals a presidency progressively consenting to wield subject powerfulness crossed the globe.