An U.S, strike in the Pacific Ocean has left four people dead, marking another deadly move in Trump’s intensified push to target drug trafficking at sea, NBC News and BBC confirm.
“Earlier today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday on Twitter. The video shared in his post shows the targeted boat engulfed in flames following the strike.
This is the second strike this week. On Monday, 14 others were reportedly killed during similar military action.
“The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans,” Hegseth said. He confirmed the operation occurred in international waters and no US forces were harmed.
Over the past two months, at least 60 people have died from these U.S.-led maritime attacks, fueling rising tensions with both Venezuela and Colombia. Legal experts and lawmakers across party lines have questioned the president’s authority for these operations.
