US military kills 4 in latest Pacific boat strike
What's the story
The United States military carried out another airstrike on a boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four men suspected of drug trafficking. The Pentagon announced this on Thursday, releasing footage of the explosion and subsequent fire. The strike was conducted by the Joint Task Force Southern Spear under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's direction.
Twitter Post
Unclassified video of the strike
On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and… pic.twitter.com/pqksvxM3HP
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 4, 2025
Legal debate
Pentagon's justification for recent airstrike
The Pentagon said, "Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific." This is the first strike in nearly three weeks, amid ongoing debates over the legality of such military actions under international law. Democratic Congressman Jim Himes described the footage of the September strike, which reportedly showed two survivors clinging to the wreckage, as "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service."
Impeachment articles
Controversy over Defense Secretary's orders
The recent strike comes amid scrutiny on Hegseth for allegedly verbally directing military personnel to "kill them all" during a previous attack in September. A Democratic lawmaker has introduced articles of impeachment against him, citing this incident and another report regarding the sharing of sensitive information. However, legal experts have largely rejected the administration's argument that these actions are legal under wartime rules against drug traffickers.
Campaign continuation
Ongoing military campaign against suspected drug traffickers
Since September, the US military claims to have conducted 22 strikes on boats that it suspected of carrying drugs, killing almost 86 people. The US administration maintains that these actions are part of a war against drug traffickers and are therefore legal under wartime rules. However, The Guardian reported that most legal experts disagree with this interpretation.