Mexican President Sheinbaum Says She Will Seek a Meeting With U.S. Authorities After New Strikes In The Pacific

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will seek a meeting with U.S. authorities over continued U.S. strikes against alleged drug vessels in the region.

She went on to detail that the meeting will be sought Foreign Minister, Juan Ramon De la Fuente, and Navy officials, with the U.S. ambassador to the country, Ronald Johnson.

Sheinbaum has criticized the strikes and did so again on Tuesday: “We want international agreements to be fulfilled and we are not in agreement with the attacks,” she said.

The latest strikes took place on Monday night, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He said they targeted four alleged drug vessels, killing 14 people.

“The Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth said in a social media post.

Hegseth went on to say forces carried out three strikes against four vessels. Regarding the survivor, he said, “USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue.”

Overall, at least 57 people have been killed in the strikes carried out by U.S. forces since the campaign in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific began in September.

In the meantime, the U.S. continues amassing troops, vessels and aircraft off the Venezuelan coast as it escalates pressure against Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

On Monday, the U.S. again sent B-1B bombers close to Venezuela. Such aircraft had already flown close to Venezuela last Thursday. The records contradicted Donald Trump denial that U.S. bombers had been sent near the country’s shores. The B-1B is a supersonic heavy bomber capable of carrying cruise missiles and precision-guided munitions.

The first flight took place about a week after B-52s flew a similar maritime corridor during a Pentagon-described “bomber attack demo” that included Marine F-35s. The U.S. military has concentrated an unusually large force in the Caribbean and off South America, including eight warships, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9 drones, an F-35 squadron and at least one submarine. It is also sending its largest aircraft carrier to the region.