The attack on Wednesday brings the total number killed to at least 99 since the Trump administration began bombing boats suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
U.S. attacks on boats off South America have drawn the ire of legal experts and many members of Congress, who contend that the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings and, potentially, war crimes.
The Democratic measure was defeated mostly along party lines, along with another resolution that would have halted the military’s escalating campaign of boat attacks.
U.S. military aircraft in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. For months, the U.S. military has been building up a large naval force there as President Trump continues to threaten to attack Venezuela.
An oil tanker docked at Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. More than 400 tankers have moved Venezuelan oil or related products since 2019, and these vessels are part of a bigger fleet of ships that trade oil illicitly.
The move is an escalation of military operations and a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader. But its scope and economic impact are not clear.
The defense secretary joined the secretary of state on Capitol Hill to deliver the first classified briefings to include all members of the House and Senate on the maritime attacks.
The United States and Trinidad say U.S. Marines installed a radar in Tobago to combat drugs — but this war materiel isn’t designed for operations based at sea or on land.
A U.S. Air Force air-to-air refueling tanker took off from an airport in St. Croix in late November. A similar type of aircraft nearly collided with a JetBlue flight on Friday over the Caribbean, according to air traffic control radio communications.
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