Washington DC - A new US strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat killed two people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, announcing the first such attack on a vessel operating in the Pacific Ocean.

The strike – which Hegseth announced in a post on X that featured a video of a boat being engulfed in flames – brings the total number to at least eight, leaving at least 34 people dead.

"There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed and no US forces were harmed in this strike," Hegseth said in the post about the Tuesday strike.

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"Just as Al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness – only justice," he wrote.

Donald Trump's administration has said in a notice to Congress that the president determined the US is engaged in "armed conflict" with drug cartels.

"The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States," said the notice from the Pentagon, which also described suspected smugglers as "unlawful combatants."

But Washington has not released evidence to support its assertion that the targets of its strikes are drug smugglers, and experts say the summary killings are illegal even if they target confirmed narcotics traffickers.