Hegseth: Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras agree to joint ground operations — Guatemala denies

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow US forces to conduct joint ground operations against cartel and 'terrorist' networks on their soil, extending the maritime Southern Spear strike campaign — which the AP tallies at more than 200 killed in over 60 boat strikes — onto land, following a similar arrangement with Ecuador launched in March 2026. Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo publicly denied any such agreement, saying Guatemala's constitution bars joint military operations with foreign forces and that Guatemala had only requested training, tactical planning support and intelligence sharing. Honduras and Colombia did not respond to AP's requests for comment on Hegseth's claim.