US strikes 'terrorist boat' lurking in international waters as dramatic footage shows devastating moment of impact
The US Southern Command confirmed the 'lethal strike' on Monday, revealing it was conducted on the orders of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
By BRITTANY CHAIN, US SENIOR REPORTER
Published: 23:22 GMT, 29 December 2025 | Updated: 00:22 GMT, 30 December 2025
The United States military has struck another narco-terrorism boat in international waters, leaving two men dead.
The US Southern Command confirmed the 'lethal strike' on Monday, revealing it was conducted on the orders of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
'Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,' the statement read.
Intelligence sources had confirmed the boat was 'transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
'Two male narco-terrorists were killed,' authorities said, adding 'no U.S. military forces were harmed.'
Extraordinary footage of the attack shows the moment the boat was blown up, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the air on the open waters.
The revelation comes just hours after President Donald Trump announced the military had 'hit' an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs.
It marked the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since the administration launched a pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro's government.
Extraordinary footage of the attack shows the moment the boat was blown up, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the air on the open waters
The US Southern Command confirmed the 'lethal strike' on Monday, revealing it was conducted on the orders of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
'There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,' Trump said.
'We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area... it's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around.'
Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: 'I don't want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don't want to say who it was.'
Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
The mission has primarily focused on military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels and has prompted intense oversight from Congress.
An estimated 107 people have been killed in at least 30 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.