WASHINGTON

The US on Wednesday carried out another strike on a vessel allegedly engaged in "narco-trafficking" in the Eastern Pacific, said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth said in a post on the US social media company X’s platform that the “lethal kinetic strike” was carried against a vessel “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO)."

US intelligence indicated that the vessel was transiting along a "known narco-trafficking route" and was carrying narcotics, he said.

"Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike," he added.

The attack marks the latest US strike on suspected drug-trafficking boats as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against “narco-terrorism.”

Rights groups and legal experts have questioned the legality of the operations, arguing that US strikes on drug cartels are pushing the bounds of international law.