US military strike off Venezuela kills six, Trump cites ‘drug trafficking’ threat
The US military carried out an airstrike on a boat off the Venezuelan coast, killing six people on board in what marked the fifth such operation
WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) — The US military carried out an airstrike on a boat off the Venezuelan coast, killing six people on board in what marked the fifth such operation in the Caribbean under President Donald Trump’s directive to target alleged narcotics traffickers.
Trump announced the strike on social media Tuesday, claiming the vessel was carrying drugs and linked to “narcoterrorist networks.” He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the attack and released a video of the strike, adding that it was conducted in international waters and no US personnel were harmed.
The administration said the strike was part of a broader campaign against what it considers unlawful combatants engaged in narcotics trafficking. A memo to Congress obtained by the Associated Press stated that the US “is in a non-international armed conflict” with designated terrorist organizations and that operations are being conducted “pursuant to the law of armed conflict.”
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed unease. Republicans have pressed the White House for more details on the legal justification for the strikes, while Democrats have argued they violate US and international law. A recent Senate resolution seeking to restrict such actions without congressional approval failed to pass.
Two US officials told the Associated Press that the administration has yet to provide evidence proving the boats targeted were actually carrying narcotics.
The strikes follow an expanded US naval buildup in the Caribbean — the largest in years — which Venezuelan officials have condemned as a pretext for “regime change.”
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino warned of potential escalation, accusing Washington of using false drug-trafficking claims to justify military action. “We have to prepare ourselves because the irrationality with which the US empire operates is not normal,” he said during a televised address.
“It’s anti-political, anti-human, and warmongering.”
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