Guatemala has agreed to carry out joint strikes with the United States military inside its territory to target drug trafficking groups, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the talks.
Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arevalo last week agreed to airstrikes and other military action in a call with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and operations could start as early as next month, the newspaper said.
The U.S. Defense Department also intends to press Honduras to accept joint military action, the report said, adding the Trump administration is targeting the two countries to pressure Mexico into accepting joint counter-drug operations.
The Pentagon said it would not speculate on future operations or discuss matters of operational security.
“Under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership, the Department will continue working with trusted partners to defend the Homeland and secure the Western Hemisphere,” Pentagon spokesperson Joel Valdez said in an emailed statement.
The White House’s broader strategy, according to the Times report, is to normalize American military presence across Latin America to gain leverage over Mexico.
The White House said the “Administration continues to work to carry out the president’s agenda.”
The embassies of Guatemala and Honduras in the U.S. did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the Guatemalan government could not immediately be reached.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has long maintained she welcomes intelligence-sharing and security cooperation but will not accept U.S. agents or forces participating in operations on Mexican territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for greater use of U.S. military force to combat Mexican cartels, and has threatened that the U.S. could go it alone if Washington feels Mexico is not doing enough.
