Overview
- The Pentagon said the strike was conducted in international waters at the direction of President Trump against a boat it described as run by a Designated Terrorist Organization, with no U.S. casualties reported.
- This marks at least the 15th–16th operation since early September across the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, with media counts placing total fatalities around 61 to 64.
- The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, urged the U.S. to halt the strikes, warning they may violate international law and constitute extrajudicial executions.
- Administration officials cite a classified legal opinion asserting authority to use lethal force against cartels deemed an imminent threat to Americans.
- Democratic lawmakers say they have not received sufficient briefings on the legal basis or targeting decisions, while Senate Armed Services leaders from both parties have requested unanswered details, and U.S. forces expand training and deployments in the region including Marine exercises in Puerto Rico.