Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced two strikes in the eastern Pacific on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first known Pacific engagements in the campaign, with videos showing boats exploding in international waters.
- Officials say the Pacific strikes raise the tally to nine attacks since September and at least 37 fatalities, after earlier operations focused on the Caribbean.
- Hegseth labeled those killed as 'narco‑terrorists' and said the boats were run by designated terrorist organizations, while comparing cartels to Al Qaeda.
- Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro denounced the actions as murder and regional tensions with Venezuela have intensified, as UN experts warned the killings in international waters violate international law.
- Lawmakers are pressing for oversight and legal justification after the White House told Congress it views the effort as an armed conflict, with scrutiny also sharpened by the repatriation of two earlier survivors and the SOUTHCOM commander’s early retirement.