Overview
- The U.S. Southern Command said forces targeted a three-boat convoy, killing three people on the first vessel as others jumped overboard before the remaining boats were sunk.
- Officials did not disclose whether the strike occurred in the Caribbean or the eastern Pacific, and the Coast Guard was tasked to search for survivors.
- The command said the boats were operating on a known smuggling route and tied to a group designated as a terrorist organization.
- President Donald Trump recently confirmed a strike on a Venezuelan harbor site used as a drug transshipment point, as Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro alleged a U.S. bombing of a Maracaibo facility he linked to the ELN; it remains unclear if these refer to the same location.
- UN experts label the lethal maritime operations unlawful under international law and some U.S. lawmakers question their legality, while reporting counts roughly 30 strikes since September with at least 110 deaths.