The U.S. military conducted a strike on Friday against a vessel that was allegedly transferring drugs, President Trump said.
Why it matters: This was the fourth such strike in recent weeks as part of a broader Trump administration military campaign against drug traffickers off the coasts of Venezuela.
What he is saying: Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that the vessel was attacked in international waters in the U.S. military southern command area of responsibility. He also posted a video of the strike.
- He claimed the vessel was "affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking" and that "three male narcoterrorists" were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were harmed, Trunp noted.
- "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans", Trump claimed.
- "STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!", he stressed.
The big picture: President Trump ordered seven warships carrying 4,500 personnel — including three guided-missile destroyers and at least one attack submarine — to the waters off Venezuela.
- Axios Marc Caputo wrote that even close Trump advisers aren't entirely sure whether the gunboat diplomacy is a drug trafficking operation with undertones of regime change, or a Caracas coup operation masquerading as drug enforcement.
Go deeper: Inside Trump's gunboat diplomacy with Venezuela
