Trump says US struck second Venezuelan boat; three reportedly killed
President Donald Trump announced Monday that US forces struck a second Venezuelan vessel they allege was run by “narcoterrorists” and carrying illegal drugs bound for the United States. Trump said three people were killed and no US personnel were harmed.
What happened
Trump posted a video on Truth Social showing a boat on fire and said the strike followed evidence of drugs — “big bags of cocaine and fentanyl” — in the water. The purchase was disclosed as a follow-up to an earlier US strike near Venezuela two weeks ago that killed 11 people, which Washington said targeted a drug-smuggling operation.
Political reactions
Sen. Jack Reed, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the strikes an “outrageous violation of the law” and warned the operations risk igniting a broader conflict with Venezuela. Venezuelan officials accused the US of deliberate provocation; Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said relations had “crumbled” and blamed Washington for stoking tensions.
Administration stance
The US has increasingly treated transnational drug cartels as national-security threats, a shift that officials say provides legal grounds for action. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted footage of the strike, saying the US will “track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks.”
Why it matters
The strikes deepen an already tense US–Venezuela relationship and raise legal and diplomatic questions about the use of force outside declared war zones. Critics warn such operations could escalate into wider confrontation; supporters say they are required to stop dangerous drug flows into the hemisphere.
