Overview
- The New York Times reported that the Sept. 2, 2025 strike used a military plane painted to appear civilian with munitions hidden inside the fuselage, a detail confirmed by officials cited across multiple outlets.
- Video described by officials shows a follow‑up strike that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage, a sequence legal experts say could violate laws of war, including prohibitions on perfidy and attacks on shipwrecked persons.
- Pentagon officials say each platform undergoes legal review and note the aircraft came from a classified fleet, while asserting subsequent missions have used clearly military assets such as MQ‑9 Reaper drones.
- The operation launched a broader campaign, with at least about 30 to 35 strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific and more than 100 reported deaths through late 2025 and early 2026.
- Senators received classified briefings and are expected to vote this week on a war‑powers resolution to limit further military action in Venezuela, as lawmakers press for the unedited strike video and legal justifications that the Trump administration has kept classified.