Heraldo de Madrid - Colombia Launches Seventh Airstrike Against FARC Dissidents Amid Regional Security Shift

Colombia’s military launched its seventh aerial bombing operation under President Abelardo de la Espriella on Monday, November 9, targeting a camp belonging to the FARC dissident Frente 33 in the rural municipality of Tibú, Norte de Santander. The operation, designated Operación Noah, was carried out by the Colombian Air Force (FAC) in the mountainous Catatumbo region, with the principal objective reportedly being Andrey Avendaño, identified as a senior commander within the Estado Mayor Central (EMC).

According to reports, the strike resulted in four deaths and six captures. Among those detained was an individual known by the alias Barba Chivo, described as a trusted associate of Avendaño. President De la Espriella announced the operation publicly, declaring that the government would maintain its military offensive against armed groups operating within the country.

This strike marks the third aerial bombing in Norte de Santander, a department that has become one of Colombia’s most contested security theatres. The timing of the operation follows closely on the heels of a significant development across the border: an airstrike against an ELN encampment in Venezuela’s Apure state on October 30.

The attack in Venezuela reportedly killed at least 20 people, although the precise number and identities of those killed remain disputed. According to The New York Times, Washington provided intelligence and drone support for the operation. A senior Venezuelan military officer confirmed that an attack had taken place, though Venezuelan authorities have not publicly provided a detailed account of the operation or confirmed the extent of American participation.

The involvement of American intelligence represents a significant development in regional security dynamics. For years, the ELN has maintained an extensive presence inside Venezuelan territory, using border areas as logistical corridors, refuges, and operational bases. The Marxist guerrilla has also been linked to drug trafficking, illegal mining, fuel smuggling, and attacks against oil infrastructure.

Emerging indications suggest deeper intelligence cooperation involving Bogotá. A recent investigation citing intelligence sources affirmed that Colombia’s National Police had supplied the US Southern Command with coordinates identifying the ELN camp in Apure. This collaboration illustrates a growing convergence of interests among the governments confronting armed groups along the frontier.

The broader significance lies in the changing regional security environment. Under De la Espriella, Bogotá has sought closer military cooperation with the Trump administration, while Washington has intensified its campaign against drug trafficking networks and armed organizations across Latin America. For the ELN and FARC dissident factions, the implications could be considerable.

Their traditional ability to move between Colombian and Venezuelan territory has offered strategic depth, allowing commanders and fighters to exploit the limits of cross-border military cooperation. That environment may now be changing. Although there is no evidence that the two bombing operations were jointly planned or formed part of a single military campaign, they illustrate a potential shift in the regional fight against Colombia’s illegal armed groups along the country’s 2,100-kilometer Eastern border.

For a region where the ELN has long benefited from the absence of coordinated action between neighboring countries, the possibility of sustained intelligence-sharing and cross-border security cooperation could represent the beginning of a systematic effort to dismantle criminal networks that have made the Colombia-Venezuela border one of South America’s most persistent security challenges.

N.Carrasco--HdM