President Donald Trump has launched another deadly military strike in international waters — this time destroying a second Venezuelan vessel he claims was smuggling drugs to the U.S., killing three people on board.
The move, which Trump blasted across his Truth Social account early Monday morning, included grainy footage of a massive explosion at sea and a bold message to others he believes are watching: “IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!”
This marks the second time in less than two weeks the Trump administration has publicly admitted to carrying out a so-called “kinetic strike” on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. And just like the last one — which killed 11 people — this latest operation is already stirring controversy.
In his post, Trump said U.S. military forces “conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”
“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” he wrote.
“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike.”
The footage Trump shared shows a small boat bobbing in open water before erupting into flames, though no identifying features or markings are visible in the video. The White House has not released further evidence of the alleged cartel ties.
Under normal circumstances, suspected maritime drug smugglers are apprehended by the U.S. Coast Guard and prosecuted in American courts. Blowing up their boats — and killing the people on board without trial — is anything but normal.
National security analysts and legal experts are sounding the alarm.
“The lack of transparency by the administration when they’re using lethal force in the American people’s name, in a very unique manner, is deeply troubling,” said retired Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham, speaking to CNN.
Critics argue this kind of military action blurs the lines between counter-narcotics and acts of war, especially without public evidence or congressional oversight.
The administration has yet to detail what kind of drugs were recovered from the boats, how they were identified, or what intelligence justified the strikes.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, long at odds with Washington and still considered “illegitimate” by the Trump administration, is now accusing the U.S. of outright military aggression.
“This isn’t tension. It is an aggression all down the line, it’s a judicial aggression when they criminalize us, a political aggression with their daily threatening statements, a diplomatic aggression and an ongoing aggression of military character,” Maduro said Monday.
Despite the fiery rhetoric from Caracas, Trump doesn’t appear to be backing down — in fact, he’s hinting at more to come.
When asked about the legality of the strike earlier this month, Trump’s War Secretary Pete Hegseth was blunt.
“We have the absolute authority and complete authority to conduct that,” he said. “First of all, just the defense of the American people alone. A hundred thousand Americans were killed each year under the previous administration because of an open border and open drug traffic flow. That is an assault on the American people.”
The administration claims both boats targeted so far were linked to the Tren de Aragua gang — a Venezuelan criminal network that the U.S. designated a terrorist organization earlier this year.
Still, the aggressive posture — and the lack of transparency — is raising red flags for some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, even within Trump’s own party. So far, no formal oversight hearings have been announced.
Meanwhile, Trump is showing no signs of changing course. If anything, he’s escalating — warning traffickers, cartels, and foreign governments alike that American military firepower is now part of the drug war playbook.
Whether that’s legal — or even effective — is a debate the country may be forced to have.
Watch the report below from NBC News:
