U.S. military attacks vessel suspected of transporting narcotics. Photo captured from X by Secretary of Defense (War Department) Pete Hegseth.

The U.S. military has again attacked four vessels suspected of transporting narcotics to the United States on the high seas east of the Pacific Ocean.

Secretary of Defense (War Department) Pete Hegseth announced this fact on his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 28th (local time), posting a video of the vessels being sunk.

The attacks on these vessels occurred three times the previous day. Hegseth stated that 14 out of 15 "narco-terrorists (members of drug smuggling organizations in Central and South America)" aboard each vessel died in these attacks.

Hegseth reported that the vessels were operated by a terrorist organization known for drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific and were transporting narcotics along smuggling routes to the United States, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

The U.S. Southern Command initiated standard search and rescue procedures for the one survivor. Subsequently, Mexican authorities took over the case and were responsible for the rescue operations.

However, it remains unknown whether the survivor was rescued or what happened to them after the rescue.

On the 16th of last month, the U.S. military sank a semi-submersible suspected of being a drug transport vessel in the Caribbean Sea. Two surviving crew members at that time were rescued and returned to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador.

Hegseth emphasized, "The Department of Defense has spent decades defending other countries, but now we are defending our homeland."

He continued, "Narco-terrorists have killed more Americans (through drugs) than al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same way. We will track them, identify their networks, and hunt them down."

This is the 13th instance of U.S. military attacks on vessels suspected of transporting narcotics in the Pacific and Caribbean regions since last month, with at least 57 fatalities.

President Donald Trump, who is visiting Japan, suggested that land operations are imminent, stating that the United States has nearly blocked the inflow of drugs by sea.

Speaking to U.S. Forces Japan personnel aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, President Trump said, "For years, drug cartels have waged war within the United States, but we are finally waging war against the cartels."

President Trump added, "We are already winning the fight (against narco-terrorists) at sea. Now, we will also stop drugs coming in by land."

He refuted claims by opponents that the vessels attacked by the U.S. military were ordinary fishing boats and not drug transports, stating, "Submarines do not go fishing."

President Trump delivering a speech on an aircraft carrier. Photo courtesy of AP/Yonhap News.

Yonhap News Agency