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Per the announcement from American defense chief Pete Hegseth, American forces eliminated four people during a mission against a vessel suspected of carrying narcotics in international waters close to Venezuela.

The strike took place shortly after US officials informed lawmakers that the country was entering a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels.

This marks at least the fourth unprecedented and controversial operation conducted by American military outside US territorial waters in recent weeks.

Details of the Military Operation

Hegseth indicated that the boat was targeted while transporting substantial amounts of narcotics bound for the United States, which he described to public health.

“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,” he declared in a social media post.

Hegseth further asserted that the vessel had links to terrorist groups, a label applied through a private document to Congress.

Legal and Governmental Background

US officials has notified the legislative branch that it considers drug trafficking organizations are non-state armed actors and their actions smuggling drugs “constitute an armed attack” against the United States.

The memo was accompanied by a classified briefing for members from the Senate defense panel, conducted recently.

Administration officials have sought to legitimize these operations under Trump’s constitutional authority, permitting the use of military force in self-defense during confined conflicts.

Previous Operations and International Reaction

Prior to this strike, American military had conducted strikes on three boats in the Caribbean, resulting in 17 deaths and sparking widespread international outrage.

Hegseth emphasized that such operations “will continue” until “threats to US citizens persist”.

Governmental Changes and Oversight

Officials has allegedly empowered a White House security body to operate separately within the administration, a shift unlike prior governments which had it reporting to the security chief.

This restructuring has influenced the planning and implementation of such strikes, with some officials being informed about strikes shortly prior to they occur.

Despite the administration’s assertions, juridical specialists point out that labeling trafficking groups as terrorist entities does not grant additional authority for using lethal force without concrete evidence linking them to another state.

To date, US officials has yet to offer proof concerning the supposed penetration by cartels into Venezuela's regime.