The U.S. military killed 14 people in strikes against four boats it claimed were transporting drugs in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday.

The strikes marked the deadliest day of President Donald Trump’s campaign against boats that his administration claims are manned by drug trafficking cartels, and marked a further escalation in an operation that has begun to draw scrutiny from his own party .

Hegseth said the four boats “were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics.” He added that one person survived the strikes and Mexico had assumed responsibility for their rescue.

Read more: Republicans Are Starting To Speak Out Against Trump’s Boat Bombing Campaign

Hegseth shared f

See Full Page