• US military launched a 16th strike on a suspected drug boat, killing two people.
• The strike is part of a prolonged campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims the attack targets vessels operated by foreign terrorist organizations.
• The action has raised legal concerns and criticism regarding extrajudicial killings.
• The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is en route to bolster US military presence in the region.

On November 4, the U.S. military executed a strike on a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. This attack marks the 16th in a series of strikes since early September, which have collectively claimed at least 66 lives, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He stated that intelligence indicated the vessel was engaged in smuggling illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route, operating in international waters at the time of the strike, as reported by Reuters and South China Morning Post.

This military action has sparked controversy, with legal experts and lawmakers from both parties questioning its justification. Critics argue that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings, as the U.S. has not publicly provided conclusive evidence supporting the claims of drug trafficking or the necessity of the attacks. "We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America," Hegseth asserted, as multiple articles highlight concerns over the legal authority behind such military strikes, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera.

The strikes coincide with an expanded U.S. military presence in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to the Caribbean. This military escalation is framed by President Trump as part of an "armed conflict" against drug cartels, which the administration links to foreign terrorist organizations. Trump, however, has been vague about whether any ground strikes in Venezuela will occur, particularly amid criticisms from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who alleges that the strikes serve as a pretext for U.S. intervention, according to India Times and NPR.