Trump alleges second US strike on Venezuelan boat, killing three
4 Min Read
An alleged US strike on another alleged Venezuelan drug boat has heightened tensions as critics question legality and evidence, warning of broader fallout across South America.
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A screengrab from the video posted by US President Donald Trump showing the targeted Venezuelan boat (Truth Social/Donald Trump)
US President Donald Trump alleged on Monday that American forces had targeted a second Venezuelan vessel, killing three people he described as "terrorists transporting narcotics". The operation, he claimed, expanded his administration’s campaign against drug cartels and broadened the scope of military force used to stop them.
Trump provided only limited details, stating in a social media post that the strike had taken place earlier that morning under his direct orders. The post included a video of what appeared to be a stationary boat exploding into flames.
“The strike occurred while these confirmed narco-terroists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The carefully phrased announcement appeared intended to pre-empt legal challenges over the strike’s justification. Washington faced criticism earlier this month after an alleged similar operation against a Venezuelan vessel left 11 people dead.
Administration officials told Congress last week that the first strike was lawful under the president’s Article 2 powers, arguing the boat was linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, which Trump had recently designated a foreign terrorist organization, The Guardian reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Still, little concrete evidence has been provided that the vessel carried narcotics, beyond assertions that US intelligence tracked drugs being loaded before the boat allegedly turned back. Addressing questions about reports that it was a fishing vessel on Sunday, Trump told the Guardian: “You saw the bags of white. It’s nonsense. So we knew it before they even left. We knew exactly where that boat, where it came from, where the drugs came from and where it was heading.”
By labeling the second vessel’s crew “terrorists” and stressing the threat to the US, Trump appeared to be laying the groundwork to invoke the same Article 2 justification once more.
US military build-up in the region
The strike comes amid a significant US military buildup near Venezuela. Over the weekend, five F-35 fighter jets were deployed to Puerto Rico, joining half a dozen US Navy destroyers already positioned there, along with support assets aimed at disrupting drug trafficking.
The naval contingent includes the Iwo Jima amphibious ready group, comprising the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale with 4,500 sailors, as well as the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which has 2,200 personnel, The Guardian reported, citing officials.
Trump has so far reportedly declined to commit to military operations inside Venezuela itself, sidestepping questions about the legality of the strikes.
Domestic and international reactions
In Washington, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff condemned the strikes, writing on social media that he was drafting a resolution to “reclaim Congress’s power to declare war.” He warned, “These lawless killings are just putting us at risk” and could encourage other nations to justify attacks on US forces.
From Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lashed out at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has played a central role in Trump’s Venezuela policy, branding him “the Lord of Death and War and Hatred.” Maduro vowed that his country would defend itself against foreign aggression.
Analysts remain skeptical about the likelihood of a full-scale US aggression on Venezuelan soil. Many suggest the pressure campaign is designed both to encourage defections within Maduro’s circle and to play to Trump’s domestic audience.
Nevertheless, Maduro’s allies and regional governments are watching nervously. “In Venezuela, the governing Chavistas have gone from disbelief to surprise, from surprise to indignation, and from indignation to horror” over Trump’s actions, Spain’s El País reported.
The paper noted that Maduro’s advisers initially saw the naval deployments as a negotiating tactic but had since grown convinced an invasion could be imminent. One senior official close to Maduro was quoted as saying, “All that’s left is for them to shoot at the buildings we’re sitting in, damn it.”
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