Overview
- Defense chief Pete Hegseth said the boats were known to U.S. intelligence, carried narcotics and were hit in international waters, with no U.S. casualties reported.
- Mexico’s navy launched a search-and-rescue at U.S. request and authorities in Mexico said they took charge of the survivor, while President Claudia Sheinbaum signaled opposition to such operations and called for a meeting with the U.S. ambassador.
- The latest action brings the publicly disclosed tally since September to roughly 13 operations and at least 57 deaths across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced the killings as illegal and ineffective, labeled them a war crime, and highlighted an eight‑ton cocaine seizure near Europe carried out without fatalities.
- Analysts note a major U.S. naval buildup including the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group, and a report says the Pentagon required non-disclosure agreements for personnel tied to the Latin America campaign.