U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a classified directive instructing the Pentagon to prepare military operations against Latin American drug cartels that Washington now lists as foreign terrorist organisations, according to U.S. media reports. The move broadens an earlier executive order and authorises planning for actions at sea and on foreign soil aimed at disrupting fentanyl and cocaine routes. Mexico, the primary theatre of concern, immediately rejected any possibility of foreign troops on its territory. The Foreign Ministry said the country “will not accept military intervention,” and President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted the directive applies only within U.S. jurisdiction. Mexico reiterated that bilateral security cooperation must respect national sovereignty. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson sought to calm tensions, saying Washington and Mexico remain “two allied sovereigns” that will build a “joint, unbreakable front” against the cartels. Echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he argued that the gangs “are terrorists who should fear the combined force” of both governments but stressed the campaign would not be unilateral. Regional leaders voiced similar cautions. Chile’s Defence Minister Adriana Delpiano said “it is not acceptable for an external force to intervene in a sovereign country,” while Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro backed tougher anti-narcotics efforts yet credited Venezuelan cooperation on their shared border and warned that paying bounties for political figures would worsen regional tensions. Security analysts noted the directive’s language is vague about operational boundaries, leaving open whether U.S. strikes could occur inside partner nations. Mexican media commentators urged the government not to underestimate the prospect of cross-border action, underscoring that clarity on rules of engagement will be crucial to avoid a diplomatic fracture.