By Aaron Miller-
The US military conducted a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, December 4, 2025, that killed four people. This attack occurred amid significant controversy regarding the legality of previous, similar strikes.
The strike occurred on Thursday in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike. US Southern Command claimed the vessel was operated by a “Designated Terrorist Organization” and was confirmed to be carrying illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route.
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Four men aboard the vessel were killed. This incident brings the total number of people killed during the Trump administration’s “war” on drug cartels to at least 87.
VUS Southern Command released a video of the incident showing a small boat being hit by a large explosion and becoming engulfed in flames.
Video of the strike reveals a small boat moving across the water before it is suddenly hit by a large explosion.
The boat is then seen engulfed in flames and billowing smoke as the camera zooms out.
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The news comes as an investigation in Washington DC has started looking into the very first strike on an alleged drug boat on 2 September in international waters near Venezuela.
During that incident, US navy admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley is accused of ordering a follow-up strike to kill the survivors.
The follow up strike is said to have followed demands from defence secretary Pete Hegseth that the navy “kill them all”.
But during a briefing of politicians on Thursday in a series of closed-door briefings at the US Capitol on Thursday, it was categorically denied there was any such order from Mr Hegseth.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, US Southern Command described those killed as “four male narco-terrorists”.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth faces escalating scrutiny as report finds he put troops at risk”Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific,” the post said.
The Trump administration has been weighing options to combat what it has portrayed as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans.
The socialist leader has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.
Venezuela has said the boat attacks amount to murder – and that President Trump’s true motivation is to oust Mr Maduro and access its oil.
This latest strike is the 22nd such action by the US military on a suspected drug trafficking vessel, and it has intensified the debate over the legality of the operations.
Previous Incident: Lawmakers had just received a closed-door briefing regarding a controversial “double tap” strike on September 2, in which two survivors of an initial strike were killed in a follow-up attack. The legality of the strikes is a point of contention in Congress.
Democrats such as Rep. Jim Himes have called the footage of the September incident “one of the most troubling things” they have seen in public service and described the targets as “shipwrecked sailors”. Republicans like Senator Tom Cotton have defended the actions as “righteous” and “entirely lawful”.
International Concerns: UN human rights experts have previously condemned the US for what they described as “extrajudicial execution” of individuals in the strikes, raising serious questions about the adherence to the law of armed conflict. The US has maintained the strikes are legal.
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