Hegseth announces second lethal strike on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday night that the military launched a second lethal strike against what he said were vessels involved in drug trafficking operations in the eastern Pacific.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday night that the military launched a second lethal strike against what he said were vessels involved in drug trafficking operations in the eastern Pacific.

The first strike, which Hegseth earlier in the day said happened Tuesday, was said to have killed two people. Wednesday night, Hegseth said on X that another vessel in the eastern Pacific had been struck and that three men he called "narco-terrorists" were killed.

The strikes are the first in the eastern Pacific since the Trump administration began attacking vessels that it has claimed were involved in drug trafficking.

Hegseth said in Wednesday night's statement that they would continue, and he characterized the military action as similar to strikes against the terrorist group Al Qaeda.

"These strikes will continue, day after day. These are not simply drug runners — these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the 'Al Qaeda' of our hemisphere and will not escape justice," Hegseth said, using an initialism for "drug trafficking organizations."