From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 25, 2026
US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 2 in eastern Pacific
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleWASHINGTON — The US military says it launched another strike yesterday on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.
The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and has killed at least 183 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea.
The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
Regarding the latest attack yesterday, US Southern Command repeats previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It posts a video on X showing a boat floating in the water before an explosion left it in flames.
On April 24, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/FRHwqXsHm2
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) April 25, 2026
US President Donald Trump has said the country is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.
Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.
The Times of Israel Community.