On December 22, 2025, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a “low-profile vessel” allegedly affiliated with “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” reportedly killing one man described as a “narco-terrorist” in international waters in the Eastern Pacific.

This strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command @Southcom on Twitter/X on December 22nd. The statement detailed that the strike was on a vessel which intelligence confirmed allegedly “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” In a video included in the post, a boat can be seen floating in the water when explosions occur to the left of the boat, missing the boat, but follow-up explosions catch the boat on fire and continue repeatedly until the boat is engulfed in flames.

There were no additional details found among local sources about the victim.

Methodological note about classification of those killed in this incident

In documenting this incident, Airwars is following the guidance outlined by independent International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law experts, whereby those on the vessels are understood to be civilians, given that the legal framework in which the strikes are being conducted remains in question.

Airwars has therefore included a civilian casualty count of one death.