Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said two Dec. 18 strikes killed five people in the Eastern Pacific, bringing the publicly reported campaign total to at least 104 deaths.
- This was the third action this week, following Dec. 16 strikes on three boats that killed eight and a Dec. 17 strike on one boat that killed four.
- Officials said the targeted vessels were operated by designated terrorist organizations traveling known narco-trafficking routes in international waters, and released night-vision video; no U.S. forces were hurt.
- Congressional efforts to curb the campaign failed in House votes, but the FY2026 defense bill compels delivery of unedited strike footage to oversight committees and allows withholding part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel funds if the Pentagon does not comply; Trump signed the bill into law late Thursday, according to USNI.
- The maritime operation is unfolding alongside a regional military buildup and a blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, as critics and U.N. experts question the strikes’ legality following reports of a Sept. 2 follow-up attack that killed survivors.