Beijing, China - Dec 23, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Picture of boat being shot
2. Screenshot of U.S. Southern Command statement

FILE: Washington D.C., USA - October 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
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4. Pentagon building, traffic

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6. Various of national flag of Venezuela, traffic, roadside statue

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The U.S. military on Monday attacked one more alleged drug boat in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing one person, the U.S. Southern Command said.

The vessel was operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and U.S. intelligence confirmed that "the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," said the command in a statement posted on X.

"One male narco-terrorist was confirmed killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed," the statement said, adding the strike was conducted at the direction of U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth, with no evidence offered.

Since early September, the Pentagon has sunk more than 26 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing more than 100 people aboard.

In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. military would begin land strikes targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean "very soon," escalating tension between the United States and Venezuela.

For almost four months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in the country.