U.S. Expands Lethal Strikes to Eastern Pacific

The Trump administration expanded its maritime campaign with a lethal strike in the Eastern Pacific off Colombia that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said destroyed a vessel and killed two people; officials called it the eighth such operation and the first outside the Caribbean, bringing the acknowledged death toll to at least 34. Hegseth framed the target as a vessel run by a 'designated terrorist organization' and released surveillance footage, describing the campaign as part of a broader 'narco‑terrorism' effort. Legal and human‑rights experts have condemned the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings and say the administration has provided no public evidence to justify treating suspected smugglers as enemy combatants. Critics also point to contradictions — including previous survivors being returned to their home countries — that they say undermine White House claims. The Pacific strike is widely viewed as a clear escalation that could further strain relations with regional partners amid other U.S. policy moves, including a recent cut in aid to Colombia.