Hegseth confirmed that he has full authority to attack ships in the Caribbean

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that he has all the necessary powers to carry out an attack by US forces in the Caribbean on ships allegedly transporting illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela.

In an interview with Fox News, he emphasized that he knows the target of such an attack. These targets are designated as foreign terrorist organizations, and Hegseth considers an attack against them to be justified.

The latest of these attacks was an air strike on Friday that killed four people. Neither Hegseth nor President Donald Trump has yet provided evidence of drugs being transported on the ships that were targeted in the attack.

Trump announced last week that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, justifying these operations.

Hegseth warned that anyone seeking to supply drugs to the US in the Caribbean would become a legitimate target for American forces.

Trump also stated that military operations in the region had stopped drug shipments from South America and hinted that another phase of this campaign was planned.

(reuters, sie)