Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a U.S. strike in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday destroyed an alleged narco‑trafficking vessel in international waters, killing four men, and released a video of the explosion.
- This was at least the 14th strike since early September, bringing the publicly acknowledged death toll to at least 62 after three earlier strikes this week killed 14 people, according to official statements and wire reports.
- The Pentagon asserts the targeted boats were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and traveling known drug routes, but it has not publicly provided evidence of narcotics on board or identified those killed.
- A significant U.S. force buildup — including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, other warships, Marines and F‑35 jets — has intensified regional tensions, with leaders in Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela condemning the operations.
- Congressional scrutiny is mounting as select senators received a classified briefing and House Armed Services members are set to be briefed, while lawmakers and UN officials question the legal basis and call the killings extrajudicial.