US military uses laser to down three Mexican cartel drones near border - CNN

The U.S. Military shot down three Mexican drug cartel drones near the Texas-Mexico border this week using a high-powered laser system, according to U.S. Officials who disclosed the operation Thursday.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed the strikes happened late Tuesday into early Wednesday in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. The weapon used was the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser. Military officials did not specify the exact location of the operation or whether any portion of it occurred over Mexican territory.

That last detail matters. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stated publicly that any unilateral U.S. Military action on Mexican soil would be a serious violation of her country's sovereignty. The military's silence on the precise coordinates leaves that question unresolved. For West Texans, cartel drone activity along the Rio Grande corridor has been a growing concern in border security conversations.

Laser-based weapons systems have been in development for years, but this marks a significant operational use against cartel surveillance or smuggling drones on U.S. Soil, or close to it. The distinction between "near the border" and "on Mexican territory" could shape how both governments respond in the weeks ahead.