"U.S. Military's Anti-Cartel Strikes Spark Legal, Diplomatic Firestorms"

The U.S. military has intensified its offensive against alleged drug-smuggling operations in the Pacific and Caribbean, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announcing three strikes in the region that killed 14 people. The attacks, part of a broader effort to combat transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), have drawn sharp criticism from Latin American leaders and raised legal questions among U.S. lawmakers.

Hegseth, in a social media post, framed the strikes as a necessary escalation, stating that cartels "have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda" and would be treated as "unlawful combatants." The strikes targeted vessels linked to groups like Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Colombian cartels, with the Pentagon claiming they disrupted narcotics trafficking in international waters. A video released by Hegseth showed a nighttime strike on a small boat, which he asserted was operated by a designated terrorist organization, as an Air & Space Forces report shows.

The military buildup includes the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean, a move described by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as a show of force to "detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors," as CNBC reported. The carrier, accompanied by B-1 bombers, F/A-18 fighter jets, and missile-equipped destroyers, marks Washington's most significant military presence in the region in decades. President Donald Trump has openly threatened land strikes against Venezuela, where the U.S. seeks to pressure President Nicolás Maduro, whom it accuses of ties to drug trafficking, the Air & Space Forces report noted.

The strikes have strained relations with Colombia, whose leftist President Gustavo Petro condemned the attacks as illegal and ineffective. "Blowing up boats is easy, but it doesn't solve the structural issues of drug trafficking," Petro told CBS News. Colombia recalled its ambassador to the U.S. after Trump labeled Petro a "thug" and cut military aid to Bogotà, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Meanwhile, Venezuela's Maduro regime has accused the U.S. of using the campaign as a pretext to destabilize his government, which Washington has offered a $50 million reward for capturing, the Air & Space Forces report added.

Legal challenges to the strikes have mounted. Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Adam Schiff, have called them "unlawful" and criticized the lack of transparency. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) argued the attacks bypass congressional authority to declare war, stating, "We don't just summarily execute people," the Los Angeles Times reported. The Pentagon has provided scant evidence to substantiate claims that the boats were carrying drugs or that those killed were cartel members. Two survivors of a prior strike were repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia without being charged, Reuters reported.

The administration's strategy, modeled after counterterrorism operations, has drawn comparisons to the war on al-Qaeda. Hegseth asserted that cartels "are waging war on our border and our people," while Trump framed the campaign as a "national defense" imperative, the Air & Space Forces report observed. However, analysts caution that the strikes risk shifting trafficking routes rather than curbing supply. A former CIA station chief told The Cipher Brief that cartels may pivot to the Pacific or land routes, evading U.S. interdiction efforts.

As the U.S. continues its military buildup—now including 10 strikes since September—Congressional resistance grows. A bipartisan group of senators plans to push legislation blocking hostilities in Venezuela without congressional approval, a Los Angeles Times story says. With tensions escalating and legal debates intensifying, the campaign underscores the Trump administration's hardline approach to a crisis it defines as an existential threat.

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