American Strike Kills Four in East Pacific.. Venezuela Pushes for Emergency UN Meeting

SadaNews - The U.S. military announced that it carried out a strike targeting a ship in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, at a time when relations between the United States and Venezuela are witnessing a significant increase in tension.

The U.S. Southern Command stated in a post on the X platform that intelligence information confirmed that the ship was sailing through a known route for drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific and was involved in smuggling operations.

It added that the deceased are "terrorist drug traffickers," asserting that no U.S. military personnel were harmed.

This strike comes as part of the increasing pressure exerted by President Donald Trump's administration on Venezuela over recent months, which has included enhancing naval military presence and carrying out lethal strikes against boats accused by Washington of using them for drug smuggling.

According to figures released by the Trump administration, the total number of announced strikes on boats has risen to 26 strikes, resulting in the deaths of no less than 99 individuals.

In this context, President Trump announced a "blockade" preventing sanctioned oil tankers from entering or leaving Venezuela, in a new step to intensify pressure on President Nicolás Maduro's government.

In response to this escalation, Caracas requested the UN Security Council to hold an urgent meeting to discuss what it described as the "ongoing American aggression," and a UN diplomat indicated that the meeting is likely to be held next Tuesday.

In a related development, Colombia's president called for a reworking of the coexistence charter between the United States and Latin American countries based on respect for the sovereignty of peoples, amid tensions in relations between Washington and Bogotá, especially after the Trump administration added Colombia in September to the list of non-cooperative countries in the war on drugs for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The United States also announced last Tuesday its designation of the "Clan del Golfo" gang, based in Colombia, as a foreign terrorist organization, labeling it as a "violent and powerful criminal organization" that funds its activities through cocaine trafficking. This group is considered one of the strongest armed groups in Colombia, with an estimated 9,000 fighters.