U.S. Conducts Airstrike on Suspected Drug Vessel in Eastern Pacific, Killing Four
The U.S. military executed an airstrike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in four fatalities, as part of ongoing operations against alleged drug trafficking.
The U.S. military carried out an airstrike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This operation follows a series of similar strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the region.
In a social media post, Hegseth stated that, under President Donald Trump's directive, the Department of Defense executed a "lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in the Eastern Pacific." He added that intelligence indicated the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling along a known trafficking route.
This latest action brings the total number of such strikes to 14 since the campaign began on September 2, resulting in over 60 fatalities. The operations have targeted vessels in both the Pacific and Caribbean regions.
The announcement coincided with a briefing by the Trump administration to more than a dozen senators regarding the military campaign off the coast of Venezuela. Notably, only Republican senators were invited, a move criticized by Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. Warner described the exclusion of Democratic lawmakers as "indefensible and dangerous," emphasizing that decisions about the use of American military force should not be partisan and that such actions undermine Congress's constitutional role in overseeing matters of war and peace.
The Pentagon has not provided additional comments on the operation or the briefing.
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