U.S. forces carried out a new strike against a vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking in international waters, killing three Venezuelan nationals, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. On his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the victims were “three male terrorists” who intended to bring drugs into the United States, and he posted a 30-second video showing a boat exploding and burning in the middle of the sea.
However, the Republican president provided no concrete evidence confirming the presence of drugs on the targeted vessel. Instead, he insisted that the drug cartels involved were “extraordinarily violent” and posed a direct threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and core interests. From Caracas, the Venezuelan government did not immediately issue an official statement, although President Nicolás Maduro broke the silence on Monday and described the attack as an act of “aggression” by Washington.
Speaking to reporters, Maduro accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of being a “lord of death and war” and vowed that Venezuela would defend itself against any further incursions. The incident comes amid growing tension in the southern Caribbean, where the U.S. military has significantly increased its presence in recent weeks.
Just this past Saturday, five U.S. F-35 fighter jets landed in Puerto Rico as part of a strategic deployment. In early September, U.S. forces had already killed eleven people in an attack on another vessel off the Venezuelan coast, prompting the Maduro government to accuse Washington of carrying out “extrajudicial executions.” The latest offensive threatens to further deepen the diplomatic crisis between the two countries, while increasing the risk of a direct confrontation in one of the most geopolitically sensitive regions of the continent.
