Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack was taking place in international waters amid mounting criticism of the U.S. operation.
Published November 10, 2025
The United States has carried out a new military attack on what it says is a drug ship heading to the country in international waters.
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the U.S. military targeted two ships in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Sunday, killing six people.
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“Our intelligence indicates that these vessels were involved in illegal drug smuggling, were transporting narcotics, and were sailing along known drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean,” he said in a social media post.
“Both attacks took place in international waters, with three male narco-terrorists on board each vessel. All six were killed. There were no casualties to U.S. forces.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has faced growing criticism over such attacks, including accusations that they violate domestic and international law.
But Washington appears to be stepping up its campaign. Sunday’s deadly double attack was the fourth this month. At least eight people have been killed in airstrikes in the Pacific and Caribbean so far, according to U.S. officials.
The Trump administration began targeting ships in the Caribbean in September and has since expanded its military presence in the Pacific.
The United States has so far carried out 18 attacks on ships, killing dozens of people.
Last month, U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said the U.S. attack was not justified under international law.
“These attacks and their increasing human cost are unacceptable,” Turk said. “The United States must stop these attacks and take all necessary steps to prevent the extrajudicial killings of those aboard these boats, regardless of the alleged criminal activity.”
The United States has designated drug cartels as “terrorists” and described the attack as an “anti-terrorism” operation.
“Under President Trump, we are defending our homeland and killing cartel terrorists who seek to harm our country and our people,” Hegseth said Monday.
Other than grainy footage of the airstrike, the Trump administration has provided no concrete evidence that the targeted ships were carrying drugs.
Trump himself has previously joked that fishermen are afraid to fish in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela.
Critics have questioned why U.S. authorities do not monitor or capture boats that enter territorial waters, instead of extrajudicially executing suspects.
The airstrike has stirred regional tensions, particularly with Venezuela, where President Trump has accused President Nicolas Maduro of ties to “narco-terrorists.”
Increased U.S. military activity near Venezuela has fueled speculation that the U.S. government is preparing for conflict in the oil-rich South American country.
Trump suggested this month that war with Venezuela was unlikely, but said Maduro’s days were numbered.
