STORY: The U.S. military said it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug vessel in international waters in the Eastern Pacific on Thursday (December 4).

"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific," the U.S. military said in a statement on X.

U.S. Southern Command released a video it said captured the U.S. military strike on a small vessel in the Eastern Pacific. The clip, with a 21-second duration, appeared to show the boat being hit and erupting in flames in international waters.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the location or the date when the video was filmed. Upon checking this footage, no old results were found.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: VIDEO HANDOUT BY U.S. MILITARY IT SAYS SHOWS LETHAL KINETIC STRIKE ON A VESSEL IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS

Verified by:

- Location and date not verified

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: GIVEN AS EASTERN PACIFIC (RELEASED ON DECEMBER 4, 2025) (U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND - Access all) (MUTE)

1. (BLACK & WHITE) VESSEL NAVIGATING

2. (BLACK & WHITE) VESSEL BEING STRUCK

3. (BLACK & WHITE) VESSEL BURNING AFTER STRIKE, VIDEO GOES BRIEFLY BLACK

4. VESSEL BURNING AFTER STRIKE

INTERNET (DECEMBER 4, 2025)(SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Access all)(MUTE)

5. POST ON ‘X’ BY U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND, READING (English):

“On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed. #OpSouthernSpear.”