The U.S. military has carried out another strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat near Venezuela, killing six people on board.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the attack on Tuesday, claiming the vessel was linked to a terrorist group.
Trump shared details on Truth Social, saying intelligence officials confirmed the boat was moving narcotics and tied to narcoterrorist networks.
He said it was traveling along a known drug route when it was hit in international waters. “Six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were harmed,” Trump stated.
This marks the fifth strike announced by the U.S. military in recent weeks.
The Pentagon earlier confirmed another attack in early October, part of a broader campaign against drug cartels.
The latest strike has raised fresh tensions with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.
He has warned that his country could declare a state of emergency if the U.S. continues its military operations near Venezuelan waters. Critics say these repeated strikes could push the two nations closer to open conflict.
The Pentagon has defended the operations, stating that Trump’s administration considers the U.S. to be in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels labeled as terrorist organizations.
Smugglers working for these groups, according to U.S. defense officials, are treated as “unlawful combatants.”
However, opposition is growing even within conservative circles.
CNN reported that at least one of the boats targeted by the U.S. had turned back before being hit, suggesting it posed no direct threat. Lawmakers are now questioning the legality of the attacks.
Republican Senator Rand Paul announced this month that he is co-sponsoring a War Powers resolution to limit the president’s authority to launch such strikes without Congress.
“Blowing up boats without due process risks escalation and failed regime change efforts,” Paul said on X. “Congress must reassert its authority.”
Paul also criticized Vice President JD Vance for praising one of the strikes, calling it “despicable and thoughtless” to celebrate killings without trial.
At the White House, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented on the strikes while meeting Argentine President Javier Milei.
“It’s better to build economic bridges with our allies than to shoot at narco gunboats,” Bessent said.
Trump later posted an unclassified video of the latest strike online, showing the moment the boat was hit.
