Strike on an alleged drug boat kills 3 in the eastern Pacific Ocean

In the eastern Pacific, the U.S. military struck a vessel on Thursday that authorities said was involved in drug smuggling, killing three people. The attack adds to a monthslong campaign that has left at least 211 fatalities from U.S. strikes on alleged narcoterrorist targets since September. U.S. Southern Command said the vessel was hit along known smuggling routes, but provided no evidence that it carried drugs. A video circulating on X shows the boat speeding before being hit and engulfed in flames. Two survivors from an earlier strike on the same vessel were killed when a second attack hit as they clung to the wreckage. The White House characterized the follow-up strike as self-defense and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict, a claim under scrutiny by lawmakers and legal scholars. Critics question legality and efficacy while noting that fentanyl trafficking is primarily a land-based activity. Senators have pressed for unedited video of the strikes, and the Pentagon’s inspector general has announced a review of targeting practices, focusing on the Joint Targeting Cycle rather than legality.