The United States has carried out another strike on a small boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing four people accused of smuggling narcotics, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday.
The operation marks the fourth such maritime strike in the Caribbean within a month.
According to U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the strike was ordered by President Donald Trump and conducted in international waters near Venezuela.
The vessel was allegedly carrying a large quantity of drugs bound for the United States. He said intelligence confirmed the boat was operating on a known trafficking route and the individuals onboard were linked to designated terrorist organisations.
Hegseth stated that these operations would continue “until the attacks on the American people are over”. A video shared on social media showed the small craft exploding and then burning at sea following the strike.
The first attack took place on 1 September in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people on a Venezuelan boat. Two more strikes later that month killed six others. At least three of the boats targeted were believed to have come from Venezuela.
The United States has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean in recent weeks, deploying eight naval vessels and over 5,000 personnel. Ten F-35 fighter jets have been stationed in Puerto Rico, the largest US military build-up in the Caribbean in over 30 years.
Venezuela has strongly condemned the strikes, calling them violations of international law. Officials said US fighter jets entered an area under Venezuelan air traffic control, describing it as a “provocation that threatens national sovereignty.”
Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino claimed five US aircraft approached within 75 kilometres of Venezuela’s coast and were tracked by radar.
The country’s defence and foreign ministries accused the U.S. of endangering civil aviation and ignoring international norms.
President Nicolás Maduro said earlier this week that he is ready to declare a state of emergency to counter what he called US “aggression.” He rejected claims by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the Venezuelan armed forces were collaborating with drug cartels, calling the allegations false and defending the integrity of his soldiers.
The strike follows the Trump administration’s recent declaration that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which it now designates as terrorist organisations. This declaration, reported to Congress, allows the use of military force against individuals identified as “unlawful combatants.”
U.S. officials claim the targeted boats were carrying narcotics destined for America, though no evidence has been publicly released to support these claims. President Trump said one of the vessels destroyed earlier in the campaign had been carrying enough drugs to “kill 25,000 to 50,000 people.”
References: CBS News, Indian Express
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