President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military has conducted a strike on a vessel linked to a Venezuelan drug cartel. The strike reportedly took place in international waters and resulted in the deaths of three individuals. Trump shared this information in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

This operation marks the second strike against a suspected drug trafficking boat in recent weeks. In his post, Trump stated, "This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility." He emphasized that these cartels pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and interests.

The post included a nearly 30-second video that appeared to show the vessel exploding and subsequently catching fire. However, Trump did not provide any evidence to support his claim that the boat was transporting drugs.

The Venezuelan communications ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the incident. This strike occurs amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean. Recently, five U.S. F-35 aircraft were observed landing in Puerto Rico, following an order from the Trump administration to deploy ten of the stealth fighters to the region.