Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said intelligence identified the vessel as engaged in narcotics smuggling and operated by a designated terrorist organization, with no U.S. casualties reported.
- The operation took place in international waters of the Eastern Pacific near Colombia, and officials released a short video clip of the engagement on social media.
- The action brings the U.S.-reported total to at least 16 strikes since early September with roughly 66 fatalities across targeted boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is moving toward the Caribbean, expanding the U.S. military presence tied to the maritime campaign.
- Venezuela and Colombia, along with human-rights organizations, have condemned the attacks as unlawful, and members of Congress are pressing for the legal basis and evidence behind the operations.