The United States military has carried out another deadly strike in the Caribbean, killing three people aboard a vessel allegedly linked to a designated terrorist organization.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed the operation on Thursday, saying it was conducted “at the direction of President Trump.”
The vessel, he claimed, was “trafficking narcotics in international waters.” No American troops were harmed.
It marks the 17th strike since the campaign began on September 2—bringing total deaths to at least 70. Of those targeted, only three individuals are known to have survived; two were captured and repatriated, while one remains missing and presumed dead.
The Trump administration has framed these actions as part of an “armed conflict” against drug cartels, a classification that effectively allows the Pentagon to conduct lethal strikes without court approval.
The Department of Justice reportedly issued a classified finding reinterpreting cartels as “nonstate armed groups” whose actions amount to “an armed attack against the United States.”
By invoking the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), Washington now treats the vessels of suspected traffickers as lawful military targets—similar to how it once targeted Al-Qaeda operatives.
Critics, however, have condemned the campaign as an overreach of military power. Legal scholars and members of Congress argue that “selling a dangerous substance is not the same as an armed attack.”
The UN human rights chief has described the strikes as “extrajudicial killings”, warning that such actions bypass due process and undermine international law.
The administration has yet to make public any verified evidence of narcotics found aboard the targeted vessels or of direct cartel affiliation.
This latest strike also intensifies Washington’s ongoing attempts to link Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the global drug trade.
US officials have amassed a significant naval presence near Venezuela but say no attacks on land or within Venezuelan territory are planned.
Officials told Congress that both the Justice Department’s opinion and the campaign’s “execute order” apply strictly to maritime targets—a claim some lawmakers doubt, given the escalating tone of military rhetoric.
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