Overview
- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said a Wednesday airstrike in the eastern Pacific killed four people in international waters.
- U.S. figures cited by media put the two‑month tally at roughly 15 boats destroyed and about 61 people killed, including 14 in three strikes announced the previous day.
- UN human-rights chief Volker Türk labeled the boat bombings inadmissible, urged an immediate halt, and called for independent investigations into possible extrajudicial killings.
- Washington describes those targeted as narco‑terrorists, but journalists and regional leaders say public proof linking many of the struck vessels to drug trafficking has not been provided.
- The U.S. has expanded its military footprint with the USS Gerald R. Ford, F‑35s and thousands of personnel, as tensions with Venezuela grow and AP reports a failed 16‑month bid to bribe Nicolás Maduro’s pilot.