WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that U.S. forces launched a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel operated by alleged narco-terrorists in the Caribbean, killing three people aboard. Hegseth said the attack, conducted under President Donald Trump’s direction, targeted a boat trafficking narcotics in international waters. No U.S. personnel were harmed.
The operation is part of an expanded anti-drug campaign aimed at stopping narcotics smuggling from South America to the United States. Hegseth said such strikes will continue “until the poisoning of the American people stops.” The Trump administration reports at least 69 people have been killed in similar operations since September.
Critics, however, say the maritime strikes amount to extrajudicial killings and are part of a broader effort to destabilize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan government has accused Washington of pursuing regime change under the guise of anti-narcotics operations.
Earlier in the day, Senate Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to limit Trump’s authority to conduct such attacks without congressional approval. Trump told “60 Minutes” that while he would not confirm plans for land strikes, he believed “Maduro’s days are numbered.”
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