The US military killed 11 people on a strike on a venezuela ship on Tuesday, allegedly brought up illegal drugs, said President Donald Trump, in the first operation known since the recent deployment of warships by his administration in the South Caribbean.
“We, in the last minutes, have literally pulled a boat, a boat carrying drugs, many drugs in this boat,” Trump told the White House journalists.
“And there is more where it comes from. We have a lot of drugs flowing in our country, coming for a long time … These have come out of Venezuela.”
He then shared a video on his social platform Truth which seemed to show images of air drones from a sea boat exploding and then on fire.
“The strike resulted in the death of 11 terrorists.
Trump publishes on the social platform of truth.
He added that the American army had identified the crew as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren from Aragua, that the United States has appointed a terrorist group in February.
He repeated allegations according to which Tren of Aragua is controlled by the president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, accusations that Caracas denies.
Venezuela Minister of Communications, Freddy Nanez, suggested in an article on social networks that Trump’s shared video was created with artificial intelligence.
Images of the incident also shared by the Minister of Communications of Venezuela, Freddy Nanez.
Reuters carried out initial video checks, including an examination of its visual elements using a manipulation detection tool that has not shown proof of handling.
However, in -depth verification is a process in progress, and Reuters will continue to examine the images as more and more information becomes available.
The Pentagon has not published details on the attack, including the type of medication on board, the quantity or the way in which the strike was made.
Read: Venezuela calls for American naval navigation a “criminal threat”
The decision to blow up an alleged drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of grasping the ship and apprehending its crew, is very unusual and evokes memories of the American fight against militant groups like Al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda was a Organization Militant Islamist with a large base founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s as a logistics network to support Muslims fighting against the Soviet Union during the Afghan War, but then later became one of the most notable terrorist organizations in the world after having conducted the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“” To be suspected of having carried drugs “does not carry a death sentence,” said Adam Isacson, Director of Defense Supervision at the Washington office on Latin America, in an article on X.
The deadly force against a civilian ship in international waters is a war crime if not in self -defense, which this video does not show. Only non -lethal actions, such as warning shots or disabling fire, are authorized.
“Being suspected of carrying drugs” does not carry a death sentence. https://t.co/6zal0bky9w
– Adam Isacson (@adam_wola) September 2, 2025
The United States has deployed warships in the South of the Caribbean in recent weeks in order to follow a Trump’s commitment to retract drug cartels.
The United States has deployed warships in the South of the Caribbean in recent weeks in order to follow a Trump’s commitment to retract drug cartels.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have increased in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump has suppressed drug cartels at the center of administration’s efforts to limit migration and secure the southern border.
Maduro, as well as senior officials such as the Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello, have rejected the American accusations and affirms that naval accumulation is a pretext for intervention. “A situation like this has never been seen,” said Maduro to journalists and military officers.
In August, the United States doubled its award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest at $ 50 million, citing alleged drug trafficking and links with criminal organizations.
Tuesday’s strike seemed to be the first military operation of this type in the region for this purpose.
While the ships of the American and naval coast guard regularly operate in the south of the Caribbean, the current accumulation exceeds the usual deployments of the region.
In naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS IWO Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale.
Some may transport air assets such as helicopters while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.
