Topline
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military carried out another strike on a boat it claimed was carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela Friday, killing all four people on board.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on during an event with President Trump inside the Oval Office on September 15, 2025 in Washington. (Photo by Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both posted videos of the strike to their respective social media accounts, with Hegseth writing that “four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation,” without offering details on who was killed or the organization they allegedly belonged to.
The video shows the small boat driving through the ocean and exploding into flames.
Trump said the boat was “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE.”
The strike is at least the fourth on boats in the Caribbean the administration has claimed were carrying drugs headed for the U.S., raising questions about the legality of the attacks, which have now killed a total of 21 people.
The Trump administration declared in a letter to Congress this week the strikes were conducted as part of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, according to multiple reports.
Key Background
The U.S. military carried out three similar attacks on boats off the coast of Venezuela in September and announced the strikes in similar fashion on social media. Trump claimed the first two boats were from Venezuela, but did not say where the most recent two vessels were from. The attacks come as the Trump administration has vowed to crack down on drug cartels and has designated several drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. In the letter to Congress addressing the strikes this week, the Trump administration said the report was in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act that requires it to notify Congress after the U.S. military conducts an attack.
Chief Critic
Enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, including additional warships in the Caribbean, has angered the Venezuelan government. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned Monday he could declare a state of emergency over the potential military threat he said the U.S. poses to Venezuela.
Further Reading
Hegseth announces another US attack on alleged drug boat off Venezuelan coast (ABC)
Hegseth says U.S. strike on alleged drug boat off Venezuela kills 4 “narco-terrorists” (CBS)
US strikes another boat off Venezuela coast, killing four, Defense Secretary announces (CNN)