Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the boat was hit in international waters in the Caribbean, killing three men with no U.S. casualties.
- It is the 17th publicly acknowledged operation since early September, with media tallies putting total fatalities near 69 to 70.
- The White House has told Congress it considers drug traffickers lawful military targets as unlawful combatants under Title 10 authorities.
- Officials told lawmakers the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel cleared maritime strikes tied to 24 cartels but not land attacks in Venezuela.
- The Senate voted 51–49 to block a resolution limiting President Trump’s options on Venezuela as the Navy positions the Ford carrier strike group in the region.