Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said three suspected smuggling boats were hit in international waters in the eastern Pacific on Monday, leaving eight dead, and released brief drone-view clips on X.
- Officials said the vessels belonged to fleets of cartels the U.S. has designated as terrorist groups and were moving along known trafficking routes toward the United States.
- Media counts now attribute at least 95 deaths to U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats since September across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said full, unedited footage will remain classified and limited to select congressional committees, prompting demands for wider disclosure and legal scrutiny after a disputed September strike near Venezuela.
- The latest operations unfold as President Trump signed an order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, a step the administration says strengthens its campaign against so‑called narco‑terrorist networks.