Overview
- Defense Secretary Pit Hegset said U.S. forces, acting on President Donald Trump’s order, hit a vessel in international waters, killing three people onboard with no U.S. casualties.
- Hegset asserted the boat was operated by a designated terrorist organization and was moving along a known drug-smuggling route, citing U.S. intelligence.
- The announcement followed his earlier statement about a separate strike the same day in the region that he said killed two people.
- U.S. officials signaled the operations will continue as preventive actions against entities tied to narcotics trafficking and terrorism.
- U.S. media have reported that eight boats have been destroyed in this campaign to date and have suggested strikes could extend to cartel sites linked to Venezuela.