(NewsNation) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the department had conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” on a boat in the Eastern Pacific that allegedly contained narcotics bound for the U.S.
Hegseth confirmed the strike happened Tuesday in a post on X accompanied by drone footage, noting the vessel was operated by a “designated terrorist organization” involved in narco-trafficking.
“There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,” Hegseth wrote.
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Since late August, the Defense Department has carried out a series of strikes in the Caribbean on boats allegedly operated by narco-terrorists, making this strike in the Pacific the first known operation to occur there. The strikes are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on cartels and drug flow to the U.S. In February, the State Department designated eight cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “specially designated global terrorists.”
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“Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere,” Hegseth wrote. “Just as al-Qaida waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”
The strikes have prompted scrutiny from lawmakers and human rights groups, who question the legality of these strikes and Trump’s authority to authorize them without approval from Congress.
