U.S. strike kills 4 on vessel accused of carrying drugs: Hegseth
Global News
It’s the fourth deadly strike in the Caribbean and the latest since President Donald Trump told U.S. lawmakers he was treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday he ordered another strike on a small boat he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, expanding what the Trump administration has declared is an “armed conflict” with cartels.
In his post, Hegseth said that “our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route.”
It’s the fourth deadly strike in the Caribbean and the latest since revelations that President Donald Trump told lawmakers he was treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants and military force was required to combat them. The assertion of presidential powers sets the stage for expanded action in Latin America and raises questions about how far the administration will go without sign-off from Congress.
Trump said in a social media post that the boat was “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE” and implied it was “entering American Territory” while off the coast of Venezuela.
According to Hegseth’s post, the strike Friday morning killed four men, but it offered no details on who they were or what organization they belonged to. The four strikes have claimed the lives of 21 people, according to the Trump administration.
In a post about the very first strike, Trump claimed the vessel was carrying members of the Tren de Aragua cartel. However, posts about all the subsequent strikes, including Friday’s, have not provided any details about what organizations have been targeted.
Trump has designated several Latin American drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, but Pentagon officials could not provide a list of the designated terrorist organizations at the center of the conflict.
The video of the strike posted online showed a small boat moving in open water when it suddenly explodes, with water splashing all around it. As the smoke from the explosion clears, the boat is visible, consumed with flames, floating motionless on the water.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted his European allies Thursday for what he portrayed as the continent’s slow, fragmented and inadequate response to Russia’s invasion nearly four years ago and its continued international aggression. Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe that he said have left Ukraine at...
U.S.-based Estée Lauder is the flagship brand and parent company of Clinique, MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, Aveda and Tom Ford among dozens of others.
Their feud took off after the U.S. billionaire called O'Leary an 'utter idiot' for brushing off Starlink on Ryanair planes, as well as an offer to purchase the budget airline.
New research out of Canada is pitching ideas for how to make the Winter Olympics and Paralympics more resilient to climate change.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, earlier admitted to killing Abe in July 2022 as the former prime minister was giving a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.
A yearlong push by the Trump administration to stop the fighting hasn’t yielded any breakthrough, despite the American president issuing a series of deadlines.
Universally known by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts.
Prince Harry tried to explain what it’s like living under what he called '24-hour surveillance' before the judge intervened and told him not to argue with the defence lawyer.
U.S. President Donald Trump's speech comes a day after world leaders and allies of the U.S. repudiated his expansionist threats to annex Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out military action to take over Greenland, a move that polls suggest a large majority of Americans do not support.
Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a forceful speech in Davos, Switzerland, on the 'new world order' and how middle powers like Canada can benefit by working together.
Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland.
Approximately 10,000 Danes marched outside Copenhagen City Hall in defiance of the U.S. president's pursuit of Greenland.