Overview
- The U.S. Southern Command said a lethal strike in international waters of the eastern Pacific killed four men it labeled narcoterrorists, with no U.S. casualties reported.
- The military said the targeted vessel was operated by a designated terrorist organization and traveling along a known drug-trafficking route, though it released no public evidence.
- Southcom said Joint Task Force Southern Spear executed the operation at the direction of Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- The strike is the latest in a campaign launched in September that has involved more than 25 actions and about 99 deaths, including an attack earlier this week that killed eight across three boats.
- The Senate approved defense legislation that would require the Pentagon to release footage from a controversial September 2 Caribbean strike, as regional tensions with Venezuela escalate over tanker seizures and shipping restrictions.