Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces hit two vessels in the eastern Pacific on Sunday at President Trump's direction, in international waters, with no American casualties.
- Officials assert the boats were operated by designated terrorist organizations and were carrying narcotics, though no public evidence or identities of the dead have been released.
- The latest attacks raise the known tally to about 19 strikes and roughly 75–76 deaths since early September, with operations shifting from the Caribbean toward the eastern Pacific.
- Hegseth posted strike video clips, while U.N. rights chief Volker Türk urged investigations and said there are strong indications of extrajudicial killings under international law.
- The administration has briefed select lawmakers on its armed‑conflict legal rationale as a larger U.S. naval presence, including an aircraft carrier, concentrates in the region and tensions with Venezuela persist.