The United States military has launched another deadly strike in international waters off South America, killing three people in what President Donald Trump described as an operation against Venezuelan drug traffickers.
Trump announced the action Monday on Truth Social, calling it the second kinetic strike in less than two weeks targeting what he labeled “extraordinarily violent narcoterrorists.”
“This morning, on my orders, US military forces carried out a strike in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote.
“These men were transporting illegal narcotics a deadly weapon poisoning Americans toward the United States.”
The president said all three “male terrorists” were killed, while no US personnel were harmed.
He insisted the cartels “pose a direct threat to US national security and foreign policy.”
The latest attack follows a September strike that killed 11 people allegedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. That earlier incident drew sharp criticism, as Defense Department officials struggled to provide evidence tying the targets to the gang.
Lawmakers, including Senator Jack Reed, argued the strike violated both US and international law because there was no proof of self-defense.
Despite criticism, the Trump administration has deployed significant military assets to the region.
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, and a squadron of F-35 fighter jets have been stationed near Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
Venezuelan officials have urged restraint, with Foreign Minister Yván Gil saying his country “does not want conflict” with the United States.
Meanwhile, US officials are signaling more strikes ahead. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both suggested a wider campaign against drug cartels.
Rubio said the US is “going to wage combat” against traffickers “flooding American streets and killing Americans.”
The latest strike heightens already tense relations between Washington and Caracas, while fueling a debate at home about the legality and scope of Trump’s expanding military campaign.
