Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2025. 8:07 am CST.
By Zoila Palma: US military forces killed 3 people in a second strike on a vessel in international waters off South America, President Donald Trump announced Monday on Truth Social.
“This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote, saying the vessel was “transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US.”
He added the strike “resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action” and that “No US Forces were harmed in this Strike.”
According to CNN, the announcement follows an earlier strike, about two weeks ago, that killed 11 people and has prompted questions from lawmakers and reporters about the evidence and legal authority for such operations.
Officials have offered limited details: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the actions, saying the U.S. had “the absolute and complete authority to conduct that,” and insisting “We knew exactly who they were, exactly what they were doing, what they represented, and why they were going where they were going.” Critics pressed back — Sen. Jack Reed said there was “no evidence — none — that this strike was conducted in self-defense,” arguing that domestic and international law restrict lethal force against civilian vessels unless acting in self-defense.
The strikes come amid heightened tensions with Venezuela and a visible U.S. military posture in the region: assets reported to be deployed include the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and fighter jets to Puerto Rico.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said Caracas was “not betting on conflict” with the United States and did not want one.
Senior U.S. officials signaled more operations could follow — Secretary Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested continued pressure on trafficking networks, with Rubio saying the U.S. is “going to wage combat against drug cartels that are flooding American streets and killing Americans.”
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The post International News: Three dead in second U.S. military strike on alleged Venezuelan ‘narcoterrorists’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2025. 8:07 am CST. By Zoila Palma: US military forces killed 3 people in a second strike on a vessel in international
The post International News: Three dead in second U.S. military strike on alleged Venezuelan ‘narcoterrorists’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
