BRASILIA, Brazil , 24 October (H.S.): Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator and son of the country’s former far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, made a provocative appeal on Thursday, publicly urging the United States to start bombing suspected drug-trafficking boats in Rio de Janeiro.

The call for direct U.S. military intervention in Brazil has ignited controversy and drawn sharp focus on the aggressive anti-narcotics tactics of the Trump administration.

In a post on the social media platform X, Flavio Bolsonaro expressed envy after viewing a video shared by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, which showed a missile strike incinerating a boat at sea.

Tagging the U.S. official, Bolsonaro wrote, I heard there are boats like this here in Rio de Janeiro, in Guanabara Bay, flooding Brazil with drugs. Wouldn’t you like to spend a few months here helping us fight these terrorist organizations?.

His comments come as Washington has intensified its counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Pacific, deploying stealth warplanes and Navy ships.

According to U.S. figures, these operations have resulted in the destruction of nine vessels and the deaths of at least 37 people. The Trump administration alleges the targets were involved in drug trafficking, a claim it has not substantiated with public evidence, leading to accusations from victims’ families that innocent fishermen were killed.

The U.S. actions have already shattered diplomatic ties with Colombia, whose leftist President Gustavo Petro accused President Trump of carrying out extrajudicial executions that violate international law after at least one Colombian national was killed.

The Bolsonaro family maintains close ties with Donald Trump, and this latest plea from Flavio Bolsonaro is seen as another effort to align with the U.S. president’s hardline policies, even as it raises significant questions about Brazilian sovereignty and international law.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar