Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said three strikes on four boats in the Eastern Pacific on Monday killed 14 people and left one survivor, bringing reported totals to at least 14 vessels destroyed and 57 dead since September.
- Officials say the operations are directed by President Trump and target vessels run by groups the U.S. has designated as terrorist organizations, with no U.S. casualties reported.
- The Pentagon has surged forces to the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and other assets, in what multiple reports describe as the largest U.S. naval presence there in decades.
- Mexico condemned the latest actions and called for compliance with international treaties, and Mexican authorities coordinated the search-and-rescue effort for the lone survivor.
- Legal and political scrutiny is rising in Washington over the lack of public evidence and the use of military force at sea, as senators seek justification and allies note Trump has authorized covert CIA action inside Venezuela, with Sen. Lindsey Graham saying lawmakers will be briefed on possible expansion to land operations.