Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear, directed by Secretary Pete Hegseth, hit a vessel in international waters along a known trafficking route, killing four people with no U.S. casualties.
- The command said intelligence identified the boat as engaged in narco-trafficking and described those killed as “narco-terrorists.”
- Wednesday’s attack followed strikes on three boats in the eastern Pacific earlier in the week that killed eight, according to Pentagon announcements.
- House Republicans voted down resolutions that would have required the administration to obtain congressional authorization before continuing the maritime strikes.
- Lawmakers and legal experts continue to press for evidence and legal justifications, including unedited footage and rules of engagement tied to a Sept. 2 incident reported to have killed two survivors after an initial strike.