Smoke in the Caribbean

"The videos of carnage on the open seas have, by now, become almost routine: A small, fast-moving boat skips along the waves. Seconds later, it erupts into a ball of flame after munitions flying too quickly to be seen on camera strike their target. By the end of the short clip, huge clouds of smoke fill the screen. After one such air strike last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the four people on board-who were alleged drug runners-the way the United States once depicted"

"There are a few holes in the defense secretary's account. For one thing, the boats-there have been four of them-have not been carrying enough fuel to travel from the South American coast directly to the United States. For another, the administration has not said what kind of drugs it is seeking, through the strikes, to stop from entering. But relative to some of its neighbors, Venezuela is neither a major producer nor a significant transit hub for drugs."

Graphic videos show small, fast-moving boats exploding after munitions strike, leaving large smoke plumes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labelled four people on one struck boat as "combatants," alleging they were drug runners and part of a foreign terrorist organization, and vowed strikes would continue. The boats lacked fuel to reach the United States, and the administration has not specified what drugs it aims to stop. Venezuela is not a major producer or transit hub for many drugs, and fentanyl does not travel through the Caribbean. The U.S. has not publicly shown evidence linking the boat occupants to Tren de Aragua, and some lawmakers question the legal basis. White House officials defend the strikes as having a security rationale and political dimensions.

Read at The Atlantic