Hegseth announces another alleged drug boat strike, killing 2 ‘narco-terrorists’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced another U.S. military strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing two “narco-terrorists.”

Hegseth said the U.S. forces struck a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization, and the boat was operating in international waters.

It is unclear which terrorist group the defense secretary is referring to. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to brief the "Gang of 12" tomorrow on ongoing strikes against alleged narco-terrorists in the Caribbean. 

The Pentagon chief said that no U.S. service members were injured in the operation and that the boat was operating along a “known narco-trafficking route.”

“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth said in a post on social platform X. 

“Protecting the homeland is our TOP priority. NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military.”

The strike follows a Sunday attack in the Caribbean on an alleged drug vessel that killed three individuals who were also referred to as “narco-terrorists” after several other attacks earlier this month. 

The hits have been condemned by Democrats in Congress who argue that Congressional approval is needed to launch strikes of this sort. Members of the House Armed Services Committee received a classified members only briefing on the attacks last Thursday, but walked away unsatisfied with answers provided by top defense officials.

“Our job is to oversee the use of lethal force by our military outside of the United States, and I’m walking away without an understanding of how and why they’re making an assessment that the use of lethal force is adequate here.” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former U.S. Army officer, told reporters after the briefing. 

“You know what I heard today was a tactical brief. I heard no strategy, no end game, no assessment of how they are going to end the flow of drugs into the United States, which needs to happen, by the way,” Crow added. 

However, White House officials say they don’t need to explain their approach to targeting alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

“On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels — and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans,” an administration official told The Hill on Monday.