Trump Announces Second US Strike on Venezuelan Vessel, Killing Three

President Donald Trump said Monday that the US military has carried out a second strike in international waters against what he described as a “Venezuelan drug cartel vessel” bound for the United States, killing three people and sparking fresh controversy over the legality of such operations.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump claimed credit for the attack, calling it part of a broader crackdown on narcotrafficking networks in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.

“On my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists,” Trump wrote, sharing a short video of a small boat bobbing at sea before erupting into an orange fireball. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to US National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital US Interests.”

The strike follows a similar attack earlier this month that killed 11 people and deepened tensions between Washington and Caracas. Venezuelan officials have accused the US of intercepting fishing boats and carrying out extrajudicial killings under the guise of anti-drug operations. The Trump administration maintains that the vessels were loaded with narcotics.

Trump on Monday vowed to continue targeting people he believes are smuggling drugs:

“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!” he posted.

When pressed by reporters for evidence that the latest vessel was carrying narcotics, Trump replied:

“All you have to do is look at the cargo … big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place.”

The footage released by the White House did not, however, show any drugs on board.

Critics argue the US should capture and prosecute suspected traffickers rather than sink vessels in international waters. Human rights groups say the killings violate due process and international law, pointing to the US military’s history of misidentifying targets.

Trump even acknowledged on Monday that his strikes may be damaging Venezuela’s already struggling fishing industry:

“If I were a fisherman, I wouldn’t want to go fishing here … I think the fishing business probably has been hurt,” he said.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose government is under US sanctions and facing an expanded US naval presence off its coast, branded US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the “lord of death and war” and vowed to “fully exercise” his country’s “legitimate right to defend itself.”

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of running a cocaine trafficking network and doubled its reward for his capture to $50 million. Speculation is mounting that the US could extend its strikes to Venezuelan territory itself — something Trump declined to rule out.

“We’ll see what happens,” he told reporters on Sunday. “Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. It’s not acceptable.”