Overview

• Trump said a U.S. strike in international waters killed six people on a small vessel he described as tied to narcoterrorist networks and posted a video of the blast.
• The administration says this was the fifth such maritime attack since September, with about 27 people killed in total, and that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the latest strike.
• A congressional memo asserts the U.S. is in a non-international armed conflict with designated groups, while a Senate effort to require authorization for further strikes failed.
• U.S. officials have not provided lawmakers with underlying evidence that the targeted boats were carrying narcotics, according to reporting that cites officials familiar with the matter.
• Venezuela condemned the operations, activated defense measures, and reported U.S. combat aircraft activity near its coasts as U.N. experts and regional leaders questioned the legality and warned of escalation.