The United States carried out a deadly strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two men, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed. The attack, ordered by President Donald Trump, targeted a boat reportedly involved in drug smuggling along a known trafficking route.

According to Hegseth, intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying illegal narcotics. The strike, conducted in international waters, caused no casualties among US forces. A short video released by the US military showed the vessel before it was hit by a missile and engulfed in flames, though the people on board were not visible.

This strike brings the number of people killed in US attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September to at least 67. Per reports, the Trump administration has targeted at least 17 vessels during this period, including 16 boats and a semi-submersible.

The administration has claimed the vessels were operated by foreign terrorist organisations and linked to the drug trade, but no evidence has been publicly released. Legal experts have warned such attacks could be considered extrajudicial killings, even if the targets are suspected of trafficking drugs.

Lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties have demanded clarity on the legal justification for US strikes in international waters. Governments and families in Latin America have also criticised the attacks, with some suggesting most of the people killed were fishermen.

Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO).

Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known… pic.twitter.com/OsQuHrYLMp

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 5, 2025

The strike took place while the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was heading to the Caribbean to join a US military build-up in the region. The carrier, along with accompanying destroyers, is deployed to counter drug cartels targeting the US.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of using the anti-drug campaign to weaken his government. In a recent interview, President Trump suggested Maduro’s time in power could be limited but did not confirm whether he would order strikes inside Venezuela.

The US has also indicated it may target land-based sites linked to drug trafficking, which could escalate military operations in Latin America. The United Nations has called on Washington to stop such strikes to prevent extrajudicial killings.

Hegseth said the US military would continue to target any vessel attempting to traffic drugs to the US, emphasising that protecting the homeland is the top priority.

Reference: Aljazeera