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Though touting himself as the peace president, President Donald Trump has 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-Shabab 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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President Donald Trump has targeted Venezuelan drug boats with military strikes. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social/AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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 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 No. 2 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, 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 21-22.
During the operation, “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 allefed 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 he had 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. service members being killed in Syria, the U.S. unleashed Operation Hawkeye 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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Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem look on as President Donald Trump speaks to the press Aug. 25, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump takes drug war to Venezuela proper
Following months of escalation with Venezuelan President Nicolás 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 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.”
