Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military carried out another airstrike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four people. In a post on X, Hegseth said the boat was operated by a designated terrorist organization and was traveling along “a known narco-trafficking route.”
He shared video of the strike, writing that the U.S. will continue to target drug-smuggling operations “wherever they operate.”
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“The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans. The Department of War will continue to hunt them down and eliminate them wherever they operate,” Hegseth wrote.”
No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike. The Pentagon did not provide details about the vessel’s origin or destination.
15th strike since September
According to CBS News, this marks the 15th strike on alleged drug boats since early September. It brings the total death toll to more than 60 people.
President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. is engaged in “armed conflict” with them.
The previous strike – the largest so far – killed 14 people and left one survivor.
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The first strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat occurred on Sept. 2, killing 11 “Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists.”
Mounting legal and political backlash
Amid the continued airstrikes, Democratic lawmakers and military experts have questioned the legality of the strikes and whether Trump has the authority to carry them out without congressional approval.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., accused the administration of overreach.
“No president can secretly wage war or carry out unjustified killings — that is authoritarianism, not democracy,” Reed said. “These reckless, unauthorized operations not only put American lives at risk, they threaten to ignite a war with Venezuela that would drag our nation into a conflict we did not choose.”
Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are drafting a War Powers Resolution to block continued operations.
The White House, however, argues that Trump is acting under his constitutional powers as commander in chief to protect Americans from national security threats.
International fallout
Venezuela and Colombia have also expressed outrage over the strikes, alleging that some of those killed were fishermen, not traffickers.
In a separate move, the U.S. recently docked a warship in nearby Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuela’s government called it a “hostile provocation.”
