Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific. Both strikes were conducted in international waters and 3 male narco-terrorists were aboard each vessel. All 6 were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed. Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.

The US military carried out another attack against suspected drug boats on Sunday, killing six people in the Eastern Pacific, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The military launched two lethal strikes against two separate vessels “operated by designated terrorist organizations,” Hegseth wrote on X, without disclosing which organizations the ships’ crew are believed to have been affiliated with. “These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth said. The US military has killed 76 people in 19 strikes that have destroyed 20 boats as part of a campaign that Washington says is aimed at curtailing the flow of drugs into the United States. There had been three survivors of those strikes, two of whom were briefly detained by the US Navy before being returned to their home countries. The other is presumed dead after a search by the Mexican Navy. In several briefings to Congress, including one last week, administration officials have acknowledged that they do not necessarily know the identities of each person on board a vessel before they attack it. Strikes are instead conducted based on intelligence that the vessels are linked to a specific cartel or criminal organization, CNN has reported. The Trump administration has also told Congress the US is now in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels beginning with its first strike on September 2, labeling those killed “unlawful combatants” and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding. Some members of Congress as well as human rights groups have questioned that finding and argued that potential drug traffickers should face prosecution, as had been the policy of interdiction carried out by the US before President Donald Trump took office. The Trump administration has also not provided public evidence of the presence of narcotics on the boats struck, nor their affiliation with drug cartels. Military officials have said that no US service members have been harmed in the strikes.

Updated 1:49 PM GMT, November 10, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs, killing six people in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and the death toll to at least 75 people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that many see as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. “These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth posted on social media.The Trump administration has provided no evidence for its assertions, and lawmakers, including Republicans, have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national security issues last week, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes. While Democrats said it wasn’t enough, Senate Republicans voted a day later to reject legislation that would have put a check on President Donald Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization. The strikes began in early September and have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea but have increasingly shifted to those in the eastern Pacific, where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled. The Trump administration also has build up a massive military force in South American waters, including ordering an aircraft carrier to the region.Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs. The strikes and military footprint have raised speculation about an effort to oust Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States. The Venezuelan leader has said the U.S. government is “fabricating” a war against him.In the latest strikes, Hegseth posted a video — as has become customary — showing one boat floating before exploding in a fireball. The footage cuts to what appears to be another boat moving through the water, and it looks to be carrying packages. There is a blast, and flames and smoke pour from the boat.

#US attacks vessel in the #Caribbean @PeteHegseth, US Secretary of Defense, confirmed that the military attacked a vessel in the Caribbean. The official alleges it was a drug-trafficking vessel. The US government has carried out 19 attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. The operations have resulted in the deaths of 76 people since September.

#EEUU ataca embarcación en el #Caribe @PeteHegseth, secretario de la Defensa de #EstadosUnidos, confirmó que el Ejército atacó una embarcación en el Caribe. El funcionario alega que se trataba de un vehículo para transportar narcóticos. El gobierno norteamericano ha realizado 19 ataques a embarcaciones en el Caribe y en el Pacífico Oriental. Las operaciones han resultado en el asesinato de 76 personas desde septiembre.

UNITED STATES ATTACKS TWO MORE DRUG BOATS IN THE CARIBBEAN, KILLING SIX PEOPLE On Sunday, November 9, U.S. forces destroyed two boats that, according to military intelligence, were transporting drugs in international waters. The attacks, ordered under the doctrine against “narco-terrorists,” left six dead—three on each vessel—and no U.S. troops injured. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the vessels were linked to drug smuggling and were traveling along a known drug trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. The operation adds to a series of recent offensives in the region. Video credit: @SecWar via Storyful #UnitedStates #CaribbeanSea #Channel26

ESTADOS UNIDOS ATACÓ DOS NARCOLANCHAS MÁS EN EL CARIBE Y MATÓ A SEIS PERSONAS El domingo 9 de noviembre, fuerzas estadounidenses destruyeron dos barcos que, según inteligencia militar, transportaban drogas en aguas internacionales. Los ataques, ordenados bajo la doctrina contra “narcoterroristas”, dejaron seis muertos —tres en cada embarcación— y ningún herido entre las tropas norteamericanas. El secretario de Guerra, Pete Hegseth, afirmó que las naves estaban vinculadas al contrabando de estupefacientes y navegaban por una ruta conocida del narcotráfico en el Pacífico Oriental. El operativo se suma a una serie de ofensivas recientes en la región. Crédito del video: @SecWar vía Storyful #EstadosUnidos #MarCaribe #Canal26

#VIDEO | Six #dead after #UnitedStates attack on two “narco-terrorist” boats. This would bring the total number of vessels attacked by the U.S. Armed Forces in 2025 to at least 19. https://aztecanoticias.info/3JTAkVK

#VIDEO | Seis #muertos tras ataque de #EstadosUnidos a dos lanchas “narcoterroristas”. Con este serían al menos 19 embarcaciones las atacadas por las fuerzas Armadas de EU en 2025. https://aztecanoticias.info/3JTAkVK

US intelligence services confirmed that the sunken vessels were “linked to drug trafficking” and “were transporting narcotics” while “traveling along a known drug trafficking route in the eastern Pacific.” https://elfinanciero.com.mx/mundo/2025/11/10/video-eu-hace-explotar-2-lanchas-en-el-oceano-pacifico-asesina-a-6-presuntos-narcoterroristas/… : screenshot

Los servicios de inteligencia estadounidenses confirmaron que las embarcaciones hundidas estaban “vinculadas al contrabando de narcóticos” y “transportaban estupefacientes” mientras “transitaban por una ruta conocida de narcotráfico en el Pacífico oriental” https://elfinanciero.com.mx/mundo/2025/11/10/video-eu-hace-explotar-2-lanchas-en-el-oceano-pacifico-asesina-a-6-presuntos-narcoterroristas/… : captura de pantalla