‘If you want to stay alive...’: US carries out another lethal strike against ‘narco-terrorists’ in Caribbean, killing three

The US Department of War carried out a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel operated by "narco-terrorists in international waters, killing three, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Thursday (Nov 6). This comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown against drug cartels, targeting their vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. No US forces were harmed in the operation, Hegseth added.

“As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops. Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth wrote on X, announcing the strikes and sharing the footage from the operation.

“The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed,” he added.

Warning the narco-terrorists, he said, “To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs—we will kill you.”

The latest strike comes amid a string of military actions after Washington ramped up its presence in the region, deploying Navy ships across the Caribbean and stationing F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. At least 18 vessels have been destroyed in the US strikes since the military started its campaign in early September.

While the Pentagon has stated that the operations are being conducted to disrupt drug-trafficking networks, the strikes have drawn criticism from governments in the region for their mounting civilian toll and lack of transparency.

Earlier on Tuesday (Nov 4), the Department of War carried out a strike in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, killing two.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the US of using counter-narcotics operations as a cover for "regime change" in Caracas and for gaining control over Venezuela’s oil resources. However, the Trump administration has denied plans for any such military action against the country.