Overview
- France publicly said the operations violate international law, and reports say the United Kingdom and Colombia have halted some drug intelligence sharing with Washington.
- Press reports say the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded U.S. personnel in the strikes would not face future prosecution, a stance echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- The U.S. has carried out at least 19 strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, with about 75 to 76 people killed and no evidence released that the boats carried narcotics.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has entered the region, lifting the U.S. footprint to roughly 15,000 personnel, and Venezuela has ordered nationwide military readiness and large-scale exercises.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the campaign at the G7, rejecting European criticism and saying the U.S. will act against what it calls narcoterrorist threats in its hemisphere.