Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) issued a statement Saturday vowing to conduct “vigorous oversight” on Caribbean strikes after a report surfaced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug vessel.
Archiv: death toll from US airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
(November 28, 2025)
As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors.
Venezuelan boat strikes lack legal justification, Democrats say
There is no U.S. law that explicitly authorizes the U.S. Navy to attack or sink ships at sea outside of a congressionally authorized war or valid self-defense situation, legal experts and Democratic lawmakers say.
The strikes began in September, but Trump administration discussions about them began soon after Trump moved back into the White House in January
Trump says land strikes in Venezuela will ‚start very soon‘
Amid a buildup of U.S. military forces near Venezuela and strikes on alleged drug boats, President Donald Trump told U.S. troops on Thanksgiving that the military operation will soon include strikes on land.
“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers,“ Trump said during a call with military service members that alluded to the boat strikes, adding: „We’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.“
Latin America-EU Summit: States reject the ‘use of force’ amid tensions with the United States
“We reiterate our opposition to the use or threat of the use of force and to any action that is not in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter,” states the text signed on Sunday by 58 of the 60 nations present, with Venezuela and Nicaragua abstaining.
“We addressed the importance of maritime security and regional stability in the Caribbean,” adds the document, without directly mentioning the American bombings against ships suspected by Washington of transporting drugs, which have already resulted in 70 deaths.
US strikes another boat in Caribbean Sea, killing 3
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced another deadly U.S. strike on a boat he said was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.
The attack Thursday killed three people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 69 people in at least 17 strikes
15th US strike kills 3 more
The operation carried out on Saturday brings the total number of strikes carried out by the US in the Caribbean and Pacific to 15 and the total number of deaths 65.
US military kills three in another strike on Caribbean vessel
The operation, which began in early September, has killed more than 62 people, including nationals from Venezuela and Colombia, and destroyed 14 boats and a semi-submersible.
The Trump administration has said the attacks are targeting alleged drug smuggling, but has yet to present any evidence to the public to substantiate its claims.
Critics have called the strikes a form of extrajudicial killing and a violation of international law, which largely prohibits countries from using lethal military force against noncombatants outside a conflict zone.
US kills 14 in new attack on Pacific vessels
Fourteen people were killed and one survived, as a result of another attack by the U.S. War Department against three vessels sailing in the waters of the Eastern Pacific.
The information was confirmed by the Secretary of the US Department of War, Pete Hegseth, who detailed in his X account that “three lethal kinetic attacks were carried out against four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (…) A total of 14 narcoterrorists died during the three attacks.”
Graham says lawmakers to be briefed on potential Venezuela land attack
(October 26, 2025)
“There will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land. I support that idea, but I think [Trump] has all the authority he needs,” Graham added.
Starting in early September, the president authorized a series of strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing at least 43 people.
Another US strike in Caribbean targets alleged drug-running boat, killing 6, Hegseth says
In a 20-second black and white video of the strike that was posted to social media, a small boat can be seen apparently sitting motionless on the water when a long thin projectile descends on it resulting in an explosion. The video ends before the explosion dies down enough for the remains of the boat to become visible again.
In his post, Hegseth said that the strike was conducted in international waters and boasted that it was the first one conducted at night.