U.S. Wages War on Cartels: The Battle in the Caribbean

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed on Wednesday that the military would persist with its operations against Latin American drug cartels. This announcement comes after a controversial strike on a Venezuelan vessel suspected of transporting illegal narcotics, which resulted in 11 fatalities.

The operation, marking the first since President Donald Trump's deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean, has raised legal and ethical questions about the U.S.'s military strategies in the region. Hegseth emphasized the seriousness of the mission, declaring that any designated narco-terrorists in those waters would face similar consequences.

The operation's specifics remain classified, but it appears aligned with the Trump administration's broader aims to dismantle drug networks. Venezuelan authorities have challenged the narrative, suggesting that parts of it, including a video shared by Trump, may have been manipulated using AI. Reuters has yet to conclude its verification process.

(With inputs from agencies.)