The Trump administration has carried out its fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean, targeting a small boat allegedly involved in drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela. President Donald Trump announced the operation on social media, stating that six individuals aboard the vessel were killed, and no U.S. forces were harmed. The strike was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and executed in international waters, with intelligence confirming the boat’s association with narcoterrorist networks and its presence on a known drug trafficking route. This marks the latest in a series of aggressive actions by the administration, which has classified alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants subject to military force. However, the strikes have sparked growing bipartisan frustration on Capitol Hill. Republicans are demanding more details on the legal justifications, while Democrats argue that the operations violate both U.S. and international law. The Senate recently voted on a war powers resolution to restrict such strikes without congressional authorization, but it failed to pass. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has yet to provide concrete evidence to lawmakers proving the targeted boats were indeed carrying narcotics. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has accused the U.S. of using false drug-trafficking claims to justify its actions, warning of a potential escalation and describing the U.S. approach as ‘anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude, and vulgar.’
US strikes another boat accused of carrying drugs in waters off Venezuela, killing 6, Trump says
