(NewsNation) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the department had conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” on a boat in the Eastern Pacific that allegedly contained narcotics bound for the U.S.

Hegseth confirmed the strike happened Tuesday in a post on X accompanied by drone footage, noting the vessel was operated by a "designated terrorist organization" involved in narco-trafficking.

“There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,” Hegseth wrote.

Since late August, the Defense Department has carried out a series of strikes in the Caribbean on boats allegedly operated by narco-terrorists, making this strike in the Pacific the fir

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