US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the US had carried out another strike against a ship alleged to belong to drug traffickers.
The operation took place in the Caribbean Sea, against a group Hegseth identified as the Tren de Aragua criminal organization.
Hegseth stated that six male narco-terrorists were on board and killed during the operation.
The US has conducted a series of strikes on ships in the region, as part of an effort described by President Donald Trump to curtail drug trafficking.
Hegseth posted a video on social media showing the operation, which began with a boat in crosshairs before it exploded in a cloud of smoke.
This marks the tenth strike the Trump administration has conducted against alleged drug traffickers since early September, with most operations occurring off the coast of South America and in the Caribbean. Recent strikes have also occurred in the Pacific Ocean.
Members of Congress, including both Democrats and Republicans, have expressed concerns about the legality of these military actions and the president's authority to order strikes without congressional consent.
Notably, on September 10, 25 Democratic US senators wrote to the White House, contending the administration had engaged in a strike against a vessel days earlier without providing evidence that the individuals onboard posed a threat to the United States.
Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has stated such strikes necessitate congressional approval.
In response, Trump asserted he possesses the legal authority to conduct these strikes, citing the designation of Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization.
“We’re allowed to do that, and if we do (it) by land, we may go back to Congress,” Trump expressed to reporters at the White House.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio further added, if people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.
The recent operation resulted in six deaths, raising the total number killed in US strikes to at least 43. Analysis suggests that these operations are intended not just for combating drug trafficking, but also for exerting military pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela, a longtime adversary of Trump, who has accused Maduro of leading a drug-trafficking operation—a claim Maduro denies.
