Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the attack on X, citing unspecified intelligence and posting a video that appears to show an airstrike and a large fireball.
- He said the boat carried drugs on a known smuggling route, though the claim and casualty details have not been independently verified.
- UN human-rights experts argue the operations in international waters violate international law, while the Pentagon vows to continue to "hunt and kill" traffickers.
- Russia condemned the campaign as excessive force that breaches U.S. and international law and reaffirmed support for Venezuela after a new strategic partnership.
- The U.S. has surged forces into the region, including eight ships, F-35s in Puerto Rico and the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, as Congress faces questions over authorization the Pentagon says is not required.