Overview
- UN human rights experts warned the lethal maritime strikes could constitute international crimes and urged an immediate halt with impartial investigations.
- U.S. forces have conducted 16 strikes on suspected drug boats since Sept. 2 in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with at least 67 people reported killed.
- In classified briefings, officials said the existing Justice Department legal opinion and execute order do not authorize operations inside Venezuela or against land targets and identified 24 targetable cartels.
- The administration is seeking a separate legal opinion that could justify potential land strikes without new congressional authorization, though no decision has been announced.
- Bipartisan lawmakers pressed for the legal basis, target verification, and post‑strike identification; some praised intelligence on drug routes but questioned lethal force over interdiction as the 60‑day War Powers window has lapsed and the Senate schedules a 5 p.m. vote.