US strikes another alleged drug boat as officials weigh Venezuela attack

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says U.S. forces struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific

at President Donald Trump's direction, killing two men in international waters. Hegseth posted an unclassified clip and said that, quote

intelligence confirmed the vessel was moving narcotics along a known trafficking route

He provided no other evidence. This was the 16th publicly announced attack since early September

bringing the death toll to at least 67 in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to the New York Times

Use of force experts quoted by the Times say the killings are illegal

because the U.S. military may not intentionally target civilians absent an imminent threat

The administration argues the strikes are lawful because the president has determined

the U.S. is in an armed conflict with drug cartels. On Capitol Hill criticism is bipartisan Lawmakers say the White House has not shown enough evidence the boats carry drugs and argue the president needs congressional authorization The White House says Secretary

of State Marco Rubio will brief the bipartisan gang of 12 leaders Wednesday, its ninth such

briefing. The president's made it very clear if senators want to understand the administration's

operations against narco drug traffickers, we are very happy to speak with them about that and we

will continue to do so, but we've been incredibly transparent. Trump has been blunt about the

approach. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country

Several strikes have occurred off Venezuela as the Pentagon moves the Gerald Ford carrier strike

group toward the Caribbean. Separately, the administration is reportedly developing options for covert operations inside Venezuela, and the Justice Department has lawyers that are drafting

new legal guidance to support any expansion. For more unbiased updates, download the Straight Arrow News app or go to san.com