Overview

• An administration notice to Congress says the U.S. is in a non‑international armed conflict with designated cartels, labeling members unlawful combatants and treating the groups as terrorist organizations.
• The memo serves as the legal rationale for September strikes on suspected smuggling boats off Venezuela that killed at least 17 people, with no public evidence released that the vessels carried drugs.
• The notice did not identify which cartels are covered, and Pentagon officials could not provide a list in briefings, frustrating lawmakers seeking clarity and oversight.
• Members of Congress, legal experts and human rights groups are challenging the authority and legality of the killings at sea and urging Congress to assert its war‑powers role.
• U.S. F‑35s, warships and Marines remain deployed in the Caribbean as Venezuela reports detecting U.S. combat aircraft near its coast and denounces the flights as a provocation.