Hegseth said the vessel belonged to a “designated terrorist organization” and four male “narco-terrorists” were killed in the strike.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” he wrote on X.
“Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel—and killed—during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in this strike. The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans. The Department of War will continue to hunt them down and eliminate them wherever they operate,” he concluded.
A video shared by Hegseth shows a boat being struck, setting it on fire and billowing black smoke.
Several different vessels have already been targeted this week, and the death toll of the strikes is more than 50 people so far. The Pentagon has not released evidence to prove there were drugs aboard these vessels, nor has it released the identities of any of the people aboard them.
Thousands of American troops are in the Caribbean, and more are being deployed, as the military targets vessels in the waters around South America. President Donald Trump suggested earlier this month that the U.S. war against drug cartels could be escalated to ground strikes.
The president said they would go to Congress to “explain exactly what we are doing” before launching land strikes, but added, “We don’t have to do that.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) predicted land strikes in an interview last Sunday, though he did not comment on whether troops would be used. He said Trump would brief lawmakers on “potential future military operations against Venezuela and Colombia.”
He said the military will “kill the people that want to poison America.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Democrats have shown opposition to the strikes because they do not allow for a criminal trial. Paul said he’s “been invited to no briefing” and that “a briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution.”
“We’ve had no evidence presented. So, at this point, I would call them extrajudicial killings,” he added on Fox News.
NEW US BOAT STRIKES IN EASTERN PACIFIC RAISES DEATH TOLL TO MORE THAN 50
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told NBC News that the strikes amounted to “sanctioned murder,” and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said they will “make us less safe.”
“I mean, starting a war against Venezuela over what is a law enforcement action does not make any sense,” Kelly added.
