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A top US official has downplayed growing international criticism over recent American military strikes targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, the United States has carried out at least 15 military strikes since early September targeting boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of at least 65 people (with 3 survivors being recovered). The US claims these vessels are operated by drug-trafficking groups, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which it has designated a terrorist organization. According to US officials, each strike is preceded by surveillance operations that confirm the presence of narcotics on board and verify the boat’sinvolvement in smuggling. Despite this, Venezuela and Colombia have accused the US of killing innocent fishermen, with both countries calling for President Trump to be investigated.

What’s going on now: While speaking to reporters in Canada after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected concerns raised by US allies about the legality and legitimacy of the strikes. Addressing comments made by EU officials over concerns related to the strikes, Rubio said, “I don’t think the European Union gets to determine what international law is. They certainly don’t get to determine how the United States defends its national security.” Rubio, who also serves as President Trump’s national security adviser, insisted that the operations were a necessary response to what he described as an ongoing threat from “organized criminal narco-terrorists” operating in the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio added that he found “it interesting that all these countries want us to send and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend Europe…But when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere, where we live, somehow, that’s a problem.”

Rubio also brushed off a CNN report alleging that the United Kingdom had paused intelligence sharing with the US over concerns about possible criminal liability tied to the strikes. Calling the report a “fake story,” he stated, “Nothing has changed or happened that has impeded in any way our ability to do what we’re doing.”

A UK government spokesperson has since declined to comment directly on intelligence matters but confirmed that “the US is our closest ally on security and intelligence,” while stopping short of defending the legality of the strikes.