U.S. Army Secretary Pete Hegseth said three men were killed in a U.S. attack on a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, the BBC reported.
This is the latest in a series of attacks on vessels that the Trump administration claims are used to smuggle drugs into the United States.
Since the attacks began in September, experts have questioned their legality under international law and have drawn strong criticism from Latin American leaders whose citizens have been targeted.
Combating the flow of illegal drugs is a key policy priority for US President Donald Trump, but some believe the airstrike is part of an effort to influence politically rival governments in the region.
Mr Hegseth said the boat targeted on Saturday was operated by a designated “terrorist organization”, although it was not disclosed which organization, and that it was sailing in international waters when it was struck.
They claimed, without providing evidence, that the ship was traveling along a known drug smuggling route and was carrying drugs.
Announcements of such attacks are usually accompanied by grainy footage, but there is no evidence of suspected drug trafficking and few details about who or what was on board each vessel.
Hegseth’s statement late Saturday was accompanied by a video that appeared to show a blurry boat sailing through the water before exploding.
The Trump administration claims it is targeting “narco-terrorists.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro previously described the attack as a “murder” and said the United States was using it to “dominate” Latin America.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the US government of “manufacturing war.”
Two left-wing leaders are increasingly at odds with the Trump administration.
In response to Petro’s comments, the United States imposed sanctions on Petro and his allies and revoked Colombia’s recognition as an ally in the drug war. President Trump has threatened military action against ground targets in Venezuela.
However, he acknowledged that this may require consent from the US Congress.
However, some Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers have argued that any attack on the ship would also require Congressional authorization, a claim that President Trump denies.
Some are questioning whether the deadly attack was legal in the first place.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said Friday that such attacks are a violation of international human rights law.
“More than 60 people have reportedly been killed in a series of sustained attacks by the U.S. military under circumstances that are not recognized as justifiable under international law,” he said.
“These attacks and their increasing human cost are unacceptable.”
Experts in Latin American politics suggest that the strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific were part of a series of measures aimed at influencing change in Colombia and Venezuela.
Over the past few months, the U.S. government has steadily increased its fleet of warships, fighter jets, Marines, reconnaissance planes, bombers and drones in the Caribbean as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking, but military analysts say the scale is far greater than needed.