According to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the latest suspected drug ship to be bombed by the United States in the Caribbean Sea had Colombian citizens on board. The White House refutes these allegations.
"Four narco-terrorists" killed, according to Pete Hegseth
According to Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, "four narco-terrorists aboard the boat were killed" in the attack in question, carried out on October 3.
The strike took place "in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, while the boat was carrying large quantities of narcotics bound for the United States to poison our population", he added.
An "armed conflict" against the cartels
As part of the "armed conflict" launched by Donald Trump against the drug cartels, the US military has carried out at least four strikes targeting such boats since the beginning of September.
"The last boat bombed was Colombian."
"Indications are that the last boat bombed was Colombian and that there were Colombian citizens inside," said the Colombian president via X.
The head of state did not, however, specify the source of his information or why he believes the people on board were citizens of his country.
No passenger identification
The US military has not publicly identified the boat's passengers. Petro said it hoped their families would come forward.
An unfounded statement, according to the White House
A White House spokesman told CBS News that the U.S. is "waiting for President Petro to publicly retract his baseless and reprehensible statement [so that he can] return to a productive dialogue about building a strong and prosperous future for the people of the United States and Colombia."
An important partner for the United States
The spokesman stressed, however, that Colombia remains an important U.S. partner despite "policy differences with the current government."
"That's what one would call murder"
"Why launch a missile if you could simply stop the boat and arrest the crew? That's what one would call murder," Petro also denounced.
Petro encourages US military to "disobey"
Tensions were already high between the American and Colombian administrations.
Petro had notably taken part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on September 26 in the streets of New York, where he had travelled for the UN General Assembly.
The left-wing leader had then encouraged members of the US army to "disobey" Trump's orders.
United States revokes Petro's visa
The United States reacted by revoking Mr. Petro's visa, then criticized his government for failing to cooperate in efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Challenges to the legality of military operations
Some members of Congress have claimed that President Trump is acting without legal authority, and have asked the administration to provide evidence that the boats were carrying drugs or that the passengers were guilty of anything.
Congress has not authorized the use of military force against drug cartels.
Senate vote to block further strikes
Senate Democrats forced a vote to block further strikes. The measure failed by 48 votes to 51.
However, it won the support of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a long-time skeptic of the use of military force.