Donald Trump's chief of staff said the main goal of U.S. maritime strikes is to oust Nicolás Maduro after a U.S. strike in the eastern Pacific killed four people as part of a months-long campaign.U.S. Southern Command identified the latest attack as part of Operation Southern Spear, which began in September and has included at least 26 known strikes; officials say the United States deployed the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, fighter jets staged in Puerto Rico and Marines, and Pentagon materials show some strikes were ordered by Pete Hegseth and executed by Joint Task Force elements.Human rights groups, legal scholars and several governments have questioned the legality and evidence for targeting small vessels, raised alarm about reported follow-on "double-tap" strikes and demanded independent investigations, while Venezuela condemned U.S. actions as "piracy" and Susie Wiles said the strikes serve political aims beyond narcotics interdiction.