The United Nations’ top human rights official has issued a stern warning to the United States regarding its military actions targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. On Friday, Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, labeled these strikes as “unacceptable” and called for them to cease immediately.

This statement marks a significant moment, as it appears to be the first instance of such criticism from a U.N. body concerning these military actions. In a press briefing, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for Türk’s office, conveyed his concerns, emphasizing the need for an investigation into the strikes. “These attacks and their increasing human toll are intolerable. The United States must stop such operations and ensure the prevention of extrajudicial killings of individuals aboard these vessels,” she declared.

Türk asserts that these U.S. airstrikes on boats suspected of carrying illegal drugs contravene international human rights laws both in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions.

Amidst this international critique, former President Donald Trump has defended the military actions, describing them as crucial in the ongoing battle against drug smuggling into the United States. However, this approach has sparked controversy and disagreement among neighboring countries in the region.

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks on the boats as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, but the campaign against drug cartels has been divisive among countries in the region.

The strikes and the U.S. military’s growing presence near Venezuela have stoked fears that the Trump administration could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the United States.

Asked Friday if he’s considering land strikes in Venezuela, Trump said, “No.” He did not elaborate as he spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One as he heads to Florida for the weekend.

Speaking earlier this week from the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in Japan, Trump noted the U.S. attacks at sea and reiterated that “now we’ll stop the drugs coming in by land.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced the latest U.S. military strike in the campaign, against a boat he said was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. All four people aboard were killed. It was the 14th strike since the campaign began in early September, while the death toll has grown to at least 61.

Shamdasani noted the U.S. explanations of the efforts as an anti-drug and counterterrorism campaign, but said countries have long agreed that the fight against illicit drug trafficking is a law enforcement matter governed by “careful limits” placed on the use of lethal force.

Intentional use of lethal force is allowed only as a last resort against someone representing “an imminent threat to life,” she said. “Otherwise, it would amount to a violation of the right of life and constitute extrajudicial killings.”

The strikes are taking place “outside the context” of armed conflict or active hostilities, Shamdasani said.