President Trump announced that the U.S. military conducted another lethal strike this morning against a vessel off Venezuela, killing six individuals the administration describes as “narcoterrorists.” According to the president, the strike occurred in international waters and was authorized under his standing powers as commander-in-chief.
In his post, Trump said intelligence indicated the boat was involved in narcotics trafficking and had ties to illicit terror networks. He added that no U.S. personnel were harmed in the operation. A short video shared online purportedly shows a boat being struck and engulfed in flames.
This marks the sixth such U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in recent weeks, as part of a broader campaign to target drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean. The surge in naval and air activity in the region signals an intensification of pressure on Venezuelan authorities and the Maduro government, which the U.S. has repeatedly accused of complicity in illegal smuggling networks.
While Trump frames the actions as a necessary move against narcoterrorism, critics and some legal experts question the justification and oversight of using military force against boats suspected — but not proven publicly — of transporting drugs.