U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that the U.S. military killed 11 people in a strike on a Venezuelan vessel allegedly carryi...
U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that the U.S. military killed 11 people in a strike on a Venezuelan vessel allegedly carrying narcotics, marking the first known military action since his administration deployed warships to the southern Caribbean.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump described the strike in blunt terms:
“We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat. And there’s more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time … These came out of Venezuela.”
The U.S. military released no immediate details, but Trump later posted a video on his Truth Social platform that appeared to show aerial footage of a speedboat exploding and catching fire in open waters.
According to the president, the strike resulted in 11 “terrorists” killed in action, with no U.S. forces harmed.
Trump claimed the boat’s crew were members of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang that Washington formally designated a terrorist organization in February. He further alleged that the group operates under the control of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — a charge Caracas has repeatedly denied.
In response, Venezuela’s Communications Minister, Freddy Ñáñez, dismissed Trump’s claims and suggested that the video evidence posted online may have been artificially generated.
The incident underscores rising tensions between Washington and Caracas, with the Trump administration stepping up naval operations in the Caribbean under the pretext of combating narcotics trafficking.
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