WASHINGTON (AP) — On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that the U.S. military had conducted another strike on a vessel suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This action resulted in the deaths of four individuals aboard, as part of the Trump administration’s controversial effort to combat drug cartels in South American waters.
While visiting Japan and Malaysia, Hegseth shared via social media that intelligence reports had identified the vessel as traveling along a known drug trafficking route, carrying illicit substances. He noted that the operation took place in international waters and confirmed that no U.S. personnel were injured.
A video shared by Hegseth captures the dramatic moment the boat erupts into flames and smoke. This marks the 14th strike since the campaign’s inception in early September, with the death toll now reaching at least 61.
Simultaneously, the Trump administration has been amassing a significant naval force in the area, complete with Marines and aircraft. This buildup has sparked rumors that the purpose may be to displace Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. accuses of drug-related terrorism.
President Donald Trump has defended these aggressive measures, arguing they are essential to curtail the drug flow into the U.S. He has declared that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, invoking similar legal grounds used by the Bush administration for the war on terror following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The increased frequency of these strikes has ignited a heated debate in Congress regarding presidential authority limits. The operations have been conducted without legal investigations or a formal congressional declaration of war, prompting some lawmakers to question the sufficiency of evidence supporting these actions.
The Trump administration has shown no evidence to support its claims about the boats that have been attacked, their connection to drug cartels, or even the identity of the people killed in the strikes.
Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that the Trump administration has briefed Republicans — but not Democrats — on the boat strikes.
The military briefing at the Capitol comes as the Senate is facing a potential vote on a war powers resolution that would prohibit strikes in or near Venezuela unless Congress approves the military action.
“Shutting Democrats out of a briefing on U.S. military strikes and withholding the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate is indefensible and dangerous,” Warner of Virginia said in a statement.
“Decisions about the use of American military force are not campaign strategy sessions, and they are not the private property of one political party,” he said.
The briefing was conducted by officials from the Defense and Justice departments for the GOP leadership and senators, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
Warner demanded a similar briefing for the Democrats.
