President Donald Trump has announced that the United States conducted another air strike on a vessel off the Venezuelan coast, accusing the ship of transporting narcotics. The attack was disclosed in a social media post on Tuesday, where Trump stated that six individuals were killed in the operation.
“Under my Standing Authorities as Commander-in-Chief, this morning, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO),” Trump wrote. He added that the strike occurred in international waters and that no U.S. forces were harmed. The president did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claim that the vessel was involved in drug trafficking. However, he shared an unclassified video of the bombing, which appeared to show a small boat drifting before being struck by a missile.
This latest strike is believed to be the fifth such U.S. attack in the Caribbean Sea. Critics, including experts and human rights organizations, have condemned the strikes as violations of international law, arguing that drug traffickers do not qualify as armed combatants. Despite these concerns, such attacks have become routine over the past 18 months.
The first strike occurred on September 2, resulting in the deaths of 11 people. Two additional attacks followed on September 15 and 19, each killing three individuals. A fourth strike took place on October 3, during which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported four fatalities. With Tuesday’s attack, the confirmed death toll from these operations now stands at 27.
In each case, Trump and his administration have claimed that the strikes were necessary to prevent “narco-terrorists” from smuggling dangerous cargo into the United States. However, details about the individuals aboard the vessels, the nature of their cargo, and their intended destinations remain unclear.
U.S. forces frequently interdict suspected drug-trafficking vessels at sea as part of efforts to curb the flow of narcotics into the country. Nevertheless, critics argue that the use of lethal force reflects a broader push by the Trump administration to expand executive power, both domestically and internationally.
Trump has also sought to justify the strikes through legal and policy frameworks. In early October, the administration issued a memo to Congress stating that the U.S. was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, whom Trump referred to as “unlawful combatants.” Additionally, reports from August indicated that Trump had secretly authorized military strikes against drug-trafficking networks.
This approach aligns with a broader campaign by the Trump administration to reclassify drug trafficking as an act of foreign hostility. Since February, the administration has sought to designate various criminal and narcotics groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs), a move that rights groups say could facilitate military operations abroad.
Last week, the U.S. Senate rejected a bill introduced by Democratic senators that would have required congressional approval for future strikes on drug-trafficking vessels. Meanwhile, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean, including at bases in Puerto Rico, raising questions about potential actions against Venezuela.
Trump has maintained a contentious relationship with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. During a recent White House news conference, he reiterated allegations that Venezuela was responsible for an “invasion” of foreign gangs into the U.S., specifically mentioning the Tren de Aragua. However, a U.S. intelligence report declassified in May found no evidence that Maduro directed the gang or its activities in the U.S.
Arabic 
English 