Trump confirms second US strike on Venezuelan drug boat, three killed

Reuters reported that Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday (September 15) that, under his orders, the US military carried out a “second kinetic strike” on what he described as violent drug cartels and narcoterrorists within the Southern Command’s area of responsibility. 

He said such groups posed a threat to US national security, foreign policy and interests.

Trump claimed the vessel was carrying drugs, though he provided no evidence. He later told reporters that proof could be seen in the “big bags of cocaine and fentanyl” scattered in the water after the attack.

A video clip accompanying his post showed an explosion and fire on a vessel, though initial AI verification by Reuters could not confirm if the footage was authentic or edited. Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications has not yet commented.

The strike comes amid a US military build-up in the southern Caribbean. Five F-35 fighter jets landed in Puerto Rico on September 13, joining ten stealth aircraft already deployed. At least seven US warships and a nuclear-powered submarine are also operating in the area.

Trump hinted at further operations, suggesting that traffickers attempting to move by land would face the same response. 

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told US sailors and marines in the Caribbean last week that they were on the “front line” of a major anti-narcotics mission, not a training exercise. He later posted on X that the US would “track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere.”

The Venezuelan government, led by President Nicolas Maduro, denounced the strike as an act of aggression. Diplomatic communication between Washington and Caracas has largely ceased.

Maduro has repeatedly accused the US of seeking to remove him from power, and last month Washington doubled its reward for his capture to US$50 million, alleging links to organised crime and drug trafficking.

The latest attack follows a September 2 strike on another vessel, in which 11 people died. The US government provided little information at the time, stating only that members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang were on board.

Pentagon officials did not disclose the type of narcotics allegedly carried, nor the weapons used in the strike. Venezuelan officials insisted that none of those killed were gang members.

Legal experts have questioned whether the operations comply with international law. US officials, speaking anonymously, said the first vessel appeared to be turning away when it was struck, raising further concerns.

While the US Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, presidents of both parties have authorised overseas military operations without congressional approval.