President Donald Trump said on Monday that U.S. forces struck a second alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat in international waters, killing three men, and posted an unverified video of a vessel exploding at sea.
Trump Cites Threat From ‘Narcoterrorist' Cartels
He called it a follow-on action to a Sept. 2 strike that killed 11 people and has drawn legal scrutiny.
"This morning, on my Orders, 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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests," he added.
Verification, Evidence Questions Shadow Shared Footage
The 30-second clip he shared remains unverified and Reuters claims the partial blurring makes manipulation checks inconclusive.
The White House has not provided evidence that the latest boat carried narcotics and Venezuelan authorities have yet to acknowledge the incident. Reuters notes that after the Sept. 2 incident, Caracas denied the dead were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, while U.S. officials offered few details on weapons used or the quantity of drugs allegedly aboard.
Military Buildup Spurs Legal And Policy Debate
The strike unfolded amid a growing U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean, according to Reuters. Five F-35s landed in Puerto Rico on Saturday after Trump ordered 10 stealth fighters to the region, part of operations overseen by U.S. Southern Command.
As per an Associated Press account of events, officials have framed the campaign as a national-security mission targeting "narcoterrorists." Critics in Congress and legal scholars, meanwhile, have questioned the authority to use lethal military force at sea outside a declared conflict and asked for justification of the Sept. 2 strike.
Trump previously posted a video of the first operation and warned traffickers to "beware."
The Trump administration has hinted that more actions could follow. For now, questions persist over evidence, rules of engagement and whether the maritime campaign will expand to land targets tied to smuggling routes.
Photo Courtesy: IAB Studio on Shutterstock.com
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