Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike took place in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killed four men on board, and caused no U.S. casualties, with video of the blast posted online.
- The attack came two days after three strikes that killed 14 people and is at least the 14th strike since early September, bringing the publicly reported death toll to more than 60.
- Officials say the vessels were operated by designated terrorist organizations and carried narcotics, but the Pentagon has not publicly provided evidence of drugs or the identities of those killed.
- Members of Congress and UN officials are pressing for legal clarity and accountability as the administration holds selective classified briefings that some lawmakers say excluded them.
- The U.S. has massed significant naval and air power in the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and F-35s, and leaders in Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia have condemned or questioned the operations, with Mexico handling search-and-rescue coordination for a recent survivor.