Overview
- The Pentagon said two lethal strikes on Nov. 9–10 in the eastern Pacific destroyed two small boats and killed six people, actions ordered by President Donald Trump and conducted in international waters.
- Since early September, the campaign has sunk about 20 vessels and left roughly 75–76 people dead as operations expanded from the Caribbean into the eastern Pacific.
- U.S. officials assert the targeted boats were linked to narcotics smuggling and run by designated terrorist groups, but they have not publicly presented independent evidence to substantiate those claims.
- The Navy confirmed the USS Gerald R. Ford entered U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility on Nov. 11 to reinforce a major regional buildup that also includes recent U.S. troop training deployments to Panama.
- UN High Commissioner Volker Türk cited strong indications of extrajudicial executions and urged a prompt, transparent probe, as Venezuela and Colombia condemned the strikes and a Senate bid to curb the campaign failed 51–49.