Posted: Saturday, October 4, 2025. 11:21 am CST.
By Zoila Palma: The Trump administration has intensified its anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean, announcing a U.S. military strike that destroyed a suspected drug-trafficking vessel off the coast of Venezuela, Yahoo reports.
According to the Pentagon, 4 men aboard the boat were killed and a major shipment of narcotics was intercepted before reaching U.S. shores.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the action, describing it as a “lethal, kinetic strike” ordered directly by President Donald Trump. It marks the fifth such vessel destroyed in recent weeks, raising the total death toll from the operations to 21.
Pentagon officials said the strike targeted a vessel linked to groups Washington has labeled as terrorist organizations.
Aerial footage released by the Defense Department showed the moment the boat exploded at sea. “The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics—headed to America to poison our people,” Hegseth said, adding that no U.S. personnel were injured. He vowed that operations against “narco-terrorist” groups would continue until the threat to Americans was eliminated.
The operation is part of a broader campaign to dismantle networks U.S. intelligence believes are tied to Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles,” allegedly operating under the protection of elements of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
The campaign coincides with one of the largest U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean in decades, involving more than 4,500 personnel, naval warships, submarines, and F-35 fighter jets stationed in Puerto Rico. Administration officials have defended the strikes as constitutionally justified actions in a “non-international armed conflict” against drug cartels classified as unlawful combatants.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president acted within his authority to protect U.S. interests and uphold national security. “These strikes are a moral and constitutional obligation,” she told reporters, noting that intelligence confirmed the vessels’ ties to terrorist organizations.
The Venezuelan government has not yet commented on the latest strike, though it has previously condemned similar U.S. operations as violations of its sovereignty.
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The post International News: U.S. forces destroy 5th suspected drug vessel off Venezuelan Coast appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Saturday, October 4, 2025. 11:21 am CST. By Zoila Palma: The Trump administration has intensified its anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean, announcing a U.S. military
The post International News: U.S. forces destroy 5th suspected drug vessel off Venezuelan Coast appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.