Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Trump ordered the strike on a vessel tied to a U.S.-designated terrorist group in international waters.
- Officials released brief footage of the blast, while offering no public corroboration of narcotics or target identities.
- The operation is at least the 15th–16th such strike since early September, with reported deaths now roughly 64–65.
- UN rights chief Volker Türk urged a halt to the killings, and senators sought legal opinions along with the list of groups the administration deems targetable.
- U.S. forces in the region have been expanded with the USS Gerald R. Ford and F‑35s to Puerto Rico, and CIA activity in Venezuela has been authorized as Trump denies approving strikes inside the country.