The U.S. military carried out three strikes on four vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday on X. Hegseth said the attacks targeted “narco-terrorists” operating along known drug-trafficking routes and transporting narcotics.
Mexican authorities coordinated the rescue of the sole survivor, though it remains unclear whether that individual will be held in Mexico or transferred to U.S. custody. Earlier this month, two survivors of a similar strike were repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador after being rescued by U.S. forces.
The Pacific operation follows at least eight U.S. strikes in recent weeks against suspected smuggling vessels near Venezuela’s coast, which reportedly killed around 40 people.
Several members of Congress have criticized the administration for failing to brief lawmakers. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called the operations “extrajudicial killings,” while others in the Republican Party defended the strikes as necessary to combat international trafficking.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan Senate resolution aimed at restricting the Trump administration’s authority to conduct strikes in or near Venezuela failed to pass.
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