In a decisive move late Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that military forces have successfully neutralized another suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, resulting in the deaths of three individuals identified as “narco-terrorists.”

According to Hegseth, the boat was operated by a recognized terrorist group and was destroyed while in international waters. The specific organization involved has not been disclosed. The operation was executed without any harm to U.S. personnel.

In an assertive message on the social media platform X, Hegseth reiterated the U.S. military’s commitment to combating drug trafficking. “As previously stated, our operations against narco-terrorists will persist until the threat to the American public is eradicated,” he declared. “To those who menace our country through drug trafficking: if you wish to live, cease your activities. Persist in distributing these lethal substances, and we will eliminate you.”

Since the campaign’s inception in early September, the U.S. military has carried out 17 operations, resulting in the deaths of at least 70 individuals. These actions have been concentrated in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific region.

The military’s aggressive approach has sparked concern among lawmakers, including both Democrats and some Republicans. They have called for greater transparency regarding the selection of targets, the legal basis for the operations, and the criteria used to identify vessels for strike.

The administration has provided at least 13 briefings, including a classified one on Wednesday in the Senate that was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth. The briefing did not tamp down concerns of some Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), while others, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told reporters that lawmakers got a general explanation of how targets are selected, but was still left with questions about the “precise structure.” 

“What happens when there’s somebody nearby who may be innocent? These are the things that the [Defense Department (DOD)] is used to thinking about, and we still haven’t gotten into that level of granularity. So again, I’m not too worried that they’re going to take out a fishing boat, because our intelligence community is very, very good, but I’m not confident that we know precisely who are in those boats and why they’re there,” Himes said on Wednesday. 

As the administration has continued with the boat strikes, the DOD has built a massive military presence in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in light of ramped-up tensions between Washington and Caracas, Venezuela. 

Trump and other officials have called Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro an “illegitimate leader” and the president said during his recent interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that Maduro’s days are numbered. 

Trump has indicated at times that he could order the U.S. to conduct strikes inside Venezuela, but has not done so yet. 

Earlier on Thursday, GOP senators in a 51-49 vote blocked a war powers resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) that would have blocked the president from potentially conducting military strikes inside Venezuela without the authorization of Congress.