Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum said Washington agreed in principle that Mexico’s Navy will intercept suspected drug boats near Mexican shores, including in adjacent international waters, to avoid bombardments close to the coast.
- The Pentagon announced Operation Lanza del Sur, led by U.S. Southern Command, framing it as a mission to remove “narcoterrorists” and defend the homeland, with major assets such as the USS Gerald R. Ford positioned near Venezuela.
- News outlets reported another U.S. strike on a fast boat in the Caribbean, putting the tally at roughly 20 vessels destroyed since September 2 and about 80 people killed.
- Media reports describe a secret Justice Department OLC memorandum that treats the campaign as part of an armed conflict with cartels, while a DOJ spokesperson says the orders are lawful under the laws of war and service members cannot be prosecuted for carrying them out.
- Marco Rubio publicly ruled out unilateral U.S. troop deployments to Mexico, the U.N. human rights chief urged a legality review over possible extrajudicial killings, and Mexico reiterated that security cooperation must respect its sovereignty.