Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a targeted vessel in international waters was operated by a designated terrorist organization and that all three men aboard were killed.
- The operation is at least the 15th known strike on suspected drug‑smuggling boats since early September, bringing total reported deaths to roughly 60–65 across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
- The U.N. human rights chief said the attacks violate international law and urged the United States to halt the campaign and ensure independent investigations.
- A senior Justice Department official briefed select lawmakers that the strikes do not trigger the 1973 War Powers Resolution, citing a classified Office of Legal Counsel opinion.
- U.S. authorities have released strike videos but no public proof of narcotics or victim identities, drawing bipartisan requests for details from congressional leaders and renewed regional criticism, including from Venezuela’s government.