In a decisive move under the cover of darkness, President Donald Trump authorized a U.S. military strike targeting a vessel suspected of narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean Sea. The operation resulted in the deaths of six individuals identified as narco-terrorists, according to officials.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the details of the operation on the social media platform X, stating, “On the President’s orders, our Department of War executed a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a group officially recognized as a Designated Terrorist Organization. This vessel was actively engaged in drug smuggling within the Caribbean, following a notorious narcotics trafficking route.”

The strike, conducted in international waters, marked a significant and unprecedented nighttime operation. “Six male narco-terrorists were on board during the operation. All were eliminated, and no U.S. personnel were harmed,” Hegseth confirmed, emphasizing the operation’s precision and success.

Supporting the announcement, an infrared image was released by the Department of War, showing the vessel operated by Tren de Aragua before the strike. This image underscores the mission’s strategic execution in international waters.

Hegseth issued a stern warning to those involved in similar illicit activities, stating, “We will treat narco-terrorists in our hemisphere with the same resolve as we do [al Qaeda]. Whether day or night, we are committed to mapping their networks, tracking their movements, and ultimately, neutralizing these threats.”

The strike marks the 10th operation targeting suspected drug traffickers since Trump returned to office. The president has made combating the nation’s drug crisis a central policy focus.

The first strike took place on Sept. 2, and since then, 43 suspected drug traffickers have been killed and two have survived, officials said.

The operations have mostly targeted vessels linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua network. The missions have ranged from attacks on smuggling boats to the destruction of a submersible, with footage of several operations released by Hegseth and Trump on social media.

The Trump administration has been scrutinized in recent weeks over the strikes, including by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the latest strike Friday morning.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images )

In a recent interview, Paul cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela, as it has targeted boats in recent weeks it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.