Overview

• Defense Secretary Héctor Hegseth announced the strike in international waters and released video showing the targeted vessel on fire, calling the dead men drug terrorists.
• President Trump said the boat carried enough narcotics to kill 25,000–50,000 people and claimed the operation prevented the drugs from reaching U.S. waters.
• The administration has notified Congress that the United States has entered an armed conflict with drug‑trafficking organizations and labels smugglers unlawful combatants.
• Officials say this was the fourth such operation since September, with a total of 21 people killed in these strikes according to the administration’s tally.
• Venezuela condemned the actions as a military incursion and reported five U.S. F‑35s approached its coast, while U.S. lawmakers and legal analysts questioned the legality of lethal military action typically handled by the Coast Guard.