The U.S. allegedly carried out its first night strike of a regional counter-drug campaign in the Caribbean, killing six suspected "narco-terrorists" on a vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that an alleged U.S. strike in the Caribbean targeted a suspected drug vessel operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, resulting in six deaths. In a post on X, he shared a roughly 20-second video appearing to show a boat at sea being struck by at least one projectile before exploding. No independent evidence of what the vessel carried has been provided.
Hegseth said the operation was allegedly the first conducted at night since the counter-drug campaign began in September. The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday that his administration would brief Congress on operations against drug cartels. Trump said he does not need a declaration of “war” to act and hinted that land-based operations could follow.
The U.S. military has increased its presence across the Caribbean, deploying guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear-powered submarine and thousands of troops. Including the latest alleged strike, the United States has carried out 10 operations against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, reportedly killing nearly 40 people. The Pentagon has released little detail but confirmed that some incidents occurred near Venezuela.
The actions have raised legal concerns, with some experts and Democratic lawmakers questioning whether they align with international law. Last week, Reuters reported that two alleged traffickers who survived a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean were rescued by a U.S. Navy ship and later repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused Washington of attempting to remove him from power. In August, the U.S. doubled its reward to $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, alleging ties to drug trafficking and criminal networks, which he denies.
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Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture has risen to 30, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Thursday, as water and power shortages left survivors exposed to extreme summer heat.
Thousands of people spent the night on beaches, waiting by fences or wading through the sea in the hope of reaching Europe, as an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed into Spain's enclave of Ceuta in just 24 hours.
Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned with immediate effect in protest over proposals to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup, calling the plan "a bad deal for football."
Ukraine targeted a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, and an oil refinery overnight, while Moscow said its forces struck a ship carrying military cargo in the Black Sea.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 31st of July, covering the latest developments.
At least 18 coal miners have been killed and 14 others remain trapped after a powerful methane gas explosion caused part of a mining complex to collapse in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.
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