US forces have reportedly carried out an airstrike on a vessel suspected of drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela on Friday, October 3, killing four people.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the operation on X, describing it as the latest in a series of American strikes targeting drug smugglers in the Caribbean. According to Hegseth, the attack “was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela,” and the targeted vessel was allegedly transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics bound for America.”
A video shared by Hegseth showed the speedboat racing across the ocean before being engulfed in smoke and flames. “Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed,” he wrote, adding that the operation was part of an ongoing campaign against what he called “narco-terrorist threats” to the United States. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over,” he vowed.
Former President Donald Trump amplified Hegseth’s message on Truth Social, claiming the destroyed boat carried “enough drugs to kill 25 to 50 thousand people” and hailing the action as a victory for US security.
The strike follows the Trump administration’s recent notification to Congress asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with international drug cartels. The communication classified these groups as “non-state armed organizations” and “terrorist entities,” and described their actions as “armed attacks against the United States.”
However, the US government has not released independent evidence confirming the boat’s connection to drug trafficking. Critics and legal experts have questioned the legality of such strikes, arguing that the summary killing of alleged smugglers without trial may violate international law—even if narcotics trafficking is involved.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro swiftly condemned the attack, calling it “an act of armed aggression intended to impose regime change and seize Venezuela’s natural resources.” Speaking in Caracas, Maduro ordered the mobilization of military reservists and militias “if it becomes necessary to move from unarmed combat to armed defense.”
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), a bloc of left-leaning Latin American nations, also denounced the strike as an “illegal incursion” and a breach of international law. The group accused the United States of seeking to “destabilize the region and spread fear.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized the operation, arguing that “the real drug traffickers live in the US, Europe, and Dubai.” Writing on X, Petro condemned the strike as disproportionate, saying, “There were poor Caribbean youths on that boat. Sinking a vessel that could have been intercepted violates the principle of proportionality.”
The incident has further strained already tense relations between Washington and Caracas. In recent weeks, Venezuela has accused the United States of multiple airspace violations and described the deployment of US warships and F-35 fighter jets in the Caribbean as “provocative military escalation.”
Source:Africa Publicity
