New US attack on boat in the Caribbean Sea leaves three dead.
The Pentagon says the offensive, which has already claimed 70 lives since September, is part of the fight against drug trafficking.
247 - Three men died in a new US attack against a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Friday (7). According to the Pentagon, the operation targeted a boat suspected of transporting drugs in international waters in the region. The information is from Estadão Content .
This is the 17th offensive since the start of the military campaign launched in September. With this new attack, the death toll from operations conducted in both the Caribbean and the Pacific has reached 70.
Expanding naval offensive
According to the U.S. War Department, no American service members were injured during the operation. Video released by the Pentagon itself shows a small vessel in flames shortly after the bombing.
The U.S. government classifies the offensive as a strategy to disrupt maritime trafficking routes that supply the United States. Authorities state that the objective is to weaken the supply of illicit drugs and dismantle criminal networks in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific region.
Statements by Pete Hegseth
In a warning tone, the Secretary of War reinforced the continuation of the campaign. "The attacks will continue until the poisoning of the American people ceases," Hegseth stated in a public declaration.
In another message posted on the X platform (formerly Twitter), he wrote that "all narcoterrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you continue trafficking deadly drugs, we will kill you."
Regional reactions and impacts
International security experts say the escalation of US naval actions reflects the increased use of Caribbean routes by traffickers and raises debates about the legality of operations in international waters. The Pentagon, in turn, maintains the position that all measures taken are compatible with international norms and aimed exclusively at combating drug trafficking.
