Trump-Directed Caribbean Strike Kills Three

On Nov. 2, 2025, U.S. forces struck an alleged drug‑smuggling vessel in international waters off the Caribbean, killing three people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, posting video and saying the strike was carried out at President Trump’s direction against a boat operated by a U.S.‑designated terrorist organization carrying narcotics. The attack is the latest in a campaign begun in early September that Hegseth says treats narco‑traffickers “exactly like Al‑Qaeda,” and marks at least the 15th known strike that U.S. officials say has killed roughly 64 people across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The administration has bolstered naval assets in the region — including deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford — while resisting full disclosure about legal authorities, targeting criteria and the identities of those targeted, leaving lawmakers frustrated after a classified briefing. U.N. rights officials and other critics have urged Washington to halt the strikes as potentially unlawful, and observers warn the operations and U.S. warships near Venezuela risk escalation and deeper tensions with Moscow. Separately, President Trump threatened possible military action in Nigeria over alleged failures to protect Christians — a move Hegseth echoed with a “Yes sir” response that Nigerian officials rejected and experts say would face major challenges.