In international waters this month, Trump Says US Forces Launched Third ‘Lethal Kinetic Strike’ on Drug-Smuggling Vessel, Killing 3 Suspects. United States President Donald Trump announced late Friday that US forces had carried out a third military strike this month on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in international waters, killing three men he described as “male narcoterrorists.”
In a fiery post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the attack took place in the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility (USSOUTHCOM), a region that spans most of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans.”
The president emphasized that no US forces were harmed during the operation. “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!” he added in his signature all-caps style. Trump also released dramatic video footage showing a small vessel moving through open waters before being struck by a projectile, erupting into flames and smoke.
Trump Says US Forces Launched Third ‘Lethal Kinetic Strike’ on Drug-Smuggling Vessel, Killing 3 Suspects
Pattern of Strikes in International Waters
Friday’s strike marked the third fatal attack in September alone targeting alleged narcotrafficking vessels.
- On September 2, Trump announced that US forces struck a boat he accused of belonging to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, killing 11 people.
- On September 16, the US military destroyed another alleged Venezuelan drug vessel, killing three men described as “violent narcoterrorists.”
- The latest strike brings the total death toll from these operations to 17 alleged traffickers this month.
The Trump administration has framed these strikes as part of a broader war on drugs and fentanyl trafficking, linking Latin American criminal networks directly to terrorism.
Venezuela Condemns ‘Undeclared War’
The repeated military actions have escalated tensions with Venezuela, whose President Nicolás Maduro has denounced the strikes as acts of aggression.
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the attacks amounted to an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean. “It is an undeclared war, and you can already see how people, whether or not they are drug traffickers, have been executed in the Caribbean Sea,” he stated.
The Venezuelan government has also called for a United Nations investigation into what it describes as extrajudicial executions carried out by the United States.
Maduro accused Washington of pursuing “violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America,” urging citizens to undergo militia training to “defend the homeland.”
US Military Presence Expands in the Caribbean
The strikes are part of a wider US military buildup in the region.
- Warships have been deployed to international waters off Venezuela’s coast.
- F-35 fighter jets have been stationed in Puerto Rico.
- The US has also increased intelligence surveillance flights in the southern Caribbean.
Trump has described Venezuela’s government as a “direct threat” to US national security and has placed a $50 million reward on Maduro, accusing him of drug trafficking.
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
While Trump has championed the strikes as decisive action against narcotrafficking, legal experts and human rights groups have raised alarms.
According to Human Rights Watch, the strikes may constitute extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.
“US officials cannot summarily kill people they accuse of smuggling drugs,” said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. “The problem of narcotics entering the United States is not an armed conflict, and US officials cannot circumvent their human rights obligations by pretending otherwise.”
International maritime law also prohibits lethal force against civilian vessels in international waters unless there is an imminent threat. Critics argue that the US has not provided evidence proving the vessels were armed or directly endangering American lives at the time of the strikes.
Trump’s Expanding War on Narcoterrorism
The Trump administration has taken a hardline stance against drug cartels, escalating military involvement in what previous administrations largely treated as a law enforcement issue.
Earlier this year, the US began designating Latin American criminal gangs and cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
A draft bill circulated between Congress and the White House reportedly seeks to give Trump sweeping authority to use military force against any individuals, groups, or nations he deems linked to narcoterrorism.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently visited Mexico and Ecuador, signaled that these operations would continue. “We are going to wage combat against drug cartels that are flooding American streets and killing Americans,” Rubio said.
Also Read: Trump Doubles Maduro Bounty to $50 Million Amid Drug Trafficking Charges
Political Backlash and Opposition
Not everyone in Washington supports Trump’s aggressive tactics.
Senator Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted the strikes as unlawful. “There is no evidence – none – that this strike was conducted in self-defense,” Reed said. “That matters, because under both domestic and international law, the US military simply does not have the authority to use lethal force against a civilian vessel unless acting in self-defense.”
Some Venezuelan opposition figures, despite being fierce critics of Maduro, have also distanced themselves from Trump’s approach. Former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said, “I continue to believe that the solution is not military, but political.” He added that Trump’s strikes may actually be entrenching Maduro’s hold on power.
Public Messaging and Propaganda Value
Trump’s use of social media to announce the strikes—with dramatic videos of explosions—has raised questions about whether the operations are as much about optics and political messaging as they are about disrupting drug trafficking.
In each case, Trump personally claimed credit, framing the actions as direct defense of American lives against fentanyl trafficking.
Critics say the administration has provided little concrete evidence of the vessels’ alleged cargo beyond after-the-fact claims. CNN reported that Defense Department briefers could not conclusively prove that the first destroyed vessel belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang or that it posed an immediate threat.
The Broader Fentanyl and Drug Crisis
Trump’s emphasis on fentanyl reflects growing domestic political pressure. The synthetic opioid has been blamed for more than 70,000 deaths annually in the United States, making it a top campaign issue.
By linking Latin American drug cartels to terrorism, Trump is positioning himself as a president willing to militarize the drug war. Supporters see the strikes as necessary toughness, while opponents argue they risk dragging the US into unconstitutional military actions abroad.
Also Read: US forces strike third alleged drug vessel killing three, Trump says
International Repercussions
The strikes could also have geopolitical ripple effects.
- Russia and China, both close partners of Venezuela, have condemned US military presence in the Caribbean in the past.
- Other Latin American nations may view the operations as a dangerous precedent of unilateral US military actions in their waters.
- If the US expands its campaign, regional instability could grow, with increased risk of direct clashes.
What Comes Next?
With three strikes in one month, Trump appears committed to expanding his “war on narcoterrorism.”
Whether the strategy will effectively disrupt drug trafficking—or instead fuel greater regional tensions and legal challenges—remains uncertain.
What is clear is that the Trump administration is increasingly blurring the lines between counter-narcotics operations and military warfare, a shift that could redefine US foreign and domestic policy for years to come.
Conclusion
The US’s third lethal strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel highlights a dramatic escalation in Trump’s war on narcoterrorism. While the administration claims it is protecting Americans from fentanyl, the operations raise profound questions about international law, human rights, and the risks of an undeclared war in the Caribbean.
As Trump doubles down, the world is left to grapple with the consequences of a militarized drug war that could reshape not only US-Venezuela relations but the broader geopolitical landscape of the Americas.
