US strikes in Caribbean, Pacific leave over 60 dead

7/11/2025 7:28

The U.S. has reported carrying out 13 strikes since September on vessels near the Venezuelan coast and more recently, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing more than 60 people, according to the U.S. secretary of defense, as it escalates a military buildup in the Caribbean Sea.



The U.S. has alleged, without presenting evidence, the boats it bombed were transporting drugs, but foreign leaders, some members of Congress, legal experts and family members of the deceased have called for proof.



The United Nations human rights chief has called U.S. strikes on alleged drug dealers off the coast of South America "unacceptable" and a violation of international human rights law, and Venezuela says they are illegal, amount to murder and are aggression against the sovereign South American country.



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused Donald Trump of seeking regime change, an allegation the U.S. president has downplayed, despite reports of the administration's close contact with Venezuela's opposition.