Trump Says U.s. Military Targeted A Second Venezuelan Boat Allegedly Carrying Drugs

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that nan U.S. subject had carried retired a onslaught connected a 2nd Venezuelan boat, alleging that nan vessel was helmed by “narcoterrorists” and carrying “illegal narcotics” headed to nan United States.

Trump said nan onslaught killed 3 people, whom he called “male terrorists,” and that nary U.S. forces were harmed. It came astir 2 weeks aft nan United States blew up a vessel disconnected Venezuela, sidesplitting 11 people, pinch Trump saying nan alloy was carrying narcotics and operated by nan Tren de Aragua gang.

Trump announced Monday's onslaught on Truth Social, adding a short video of a vessel being group aflame. He wrote that group transporting narcotics that tin termination Americans should return it arsenic a warning, adding, “WE ARE HUNTING YOU!”

Asked by a newsman Monday successful nan Oval Office whether he planned to supply impervious that nan 2nd alloy was carrying narcoterrorists, Trump indicated that nan video supported his argument.

“Well, we person proof. All you person to do is look astatine nan cargo that was, for illustration — it spattered each complete nan ocean, large bags of cocaine and fentanyl each complete nan place, and it was — plus, we person recorded grounds that they were leaving,” Trump said.

Venezuelan authorities officials did not specifically mention to nan 2nd onslaught Monday, but Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said astatine a televised news convention connected state-run media aft Trump’s announcement that nan United States was deliberately provoking Venezuela. He added that nan relations betwixt nan 2 countries had crumbled, and he placed nan blasted connected nan United States.

“Some dream we will autumn into nan provocations that nan U.S. deliberately makes to make an unfastened subject confrontation,” Cabello said.

The Venezuelan authorities has based on that nan vessel targeted earlier this period was a sportfishing vessel. A time aft that strike, Trump threatened further escalation, telling reporters that “Venezuela has been a very bad actor.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had vowed 1 time earlier that onslaught to state his state a "republic successful arms" should it beryllium attacked by U.S. forces.

A root acquainted pinch nan first onslaught told NBC News astatine nan clip that nan U.S. government’s extremity was to unit Maduro to make rash decisions that could lead to his ouster, without nan deployment of American troops wrong nan country.

The Trump management has placed renewed unit connected Venezuela, starring to tensions betwixt nan 2 countries. The State Department this twelvemonth designated 8 supplier cartels and criminal organizations arsenic “global terrorists,” giving nan authorities caller ineligible authority to return subject action against them.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Venezuela hard-liner, said successful an question and reply past period that nan nickname made dealing pinch nan groups a “national information issue.”

After nan onslaught Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted video of nan detonation and said "narco-terrorists are nan enemies of nan United States."

"We will extremity astatine thing to take sides our homeland and our citizens," Hegseth said connected X. "We will way them, termination them, and dismantle their networks passim our hemisphere — astatine nan times and places of our choosing."