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As stated by American defense chief the Pentagon's top official, American forces eliminated four people during a mission targeting a vessel suspected of carrying narcotics in international waters near the Venezuelan coast.

The strike took place just a day after American authorities informed Congress regarding the US had entered a "non-international armed conflict" against narco-trafficking organizations.

This marks no fewer than the fourth unprecedented and disputed operation by US forces outside American waters in recent weeks.

Details of the Strike

The defense secretary stated that the vessel was struck while carrying large quantities of narcotics destined for America, posing a threat to public health.

“Intelligence assessments definitively verified the vessel’s involvement in drug trafficking, identifying those aboard as narco-terrorists using established smuggling routes,” he declared via an online statement.

Hegseth also claimed that the vessel had links to terrorist groups, a classification introduced through a private document to Congress.

Legal and Political Background

The Trump administration have notified Congress that it considers cartels as “non-state armed groups” and their actions in narcotics trafficking “constitute an armed attack” against the United States.

The memo included a secret session for members from the Senate defense panel, held earlier this week.

Administration officials attempted to justify the strikes under the president’s constitutional authority, which allow military action in self-defense in limited engagements.

Earlier Strikes and Global Response

Prior to this incident, US forces carried out attacks on three boats in the Caribbean, which led to 17 fatalities and sparking global condemnation.

Hegseth emphasized that such operations “will continue” until “the attacks on the American people are over”.

Administrative Restructuring and Supervision

Officials has reportedly empowered a White House security body to function separately inside the administration, a change unlike prior governments which had it reporting to the national security adviser.

The reorganization affected the planning and implementation of these military actions, with some officials being informed about strikes shortly prior to they occur.

Despite official claims, juridical specialists have noted that designating cartels as terrorist entities does not grant additional authority to employ deadly action without concrete evidence connecting them with another state.

To date, US officials has yet to offer such evidence regarding the alleged infiltration of the Venezuelan government.