US Carries Out Third “Lethal Kinetic Strike” on Drug-Smuggling Vessel

Lead U.S. military forces, acting on President Trump’s orders, conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel in international waters on Friday, killing three alleged narcoterrorists.

Nut Graf The operation-Trump’s third such maritime strike this month-targets drug-smuggling networks operating in the Southern Command’s area of responsibility. The president framed the attack as necessary to disrupt fentanyl and other illicit narcotics shipments bound for the United States and underscored that no American forces were harmed.

The Strike A video released on Trump’s Truth Social account shows an unmanned aerial platform or ship-launched munition striking the boat, which immediately erupts in flames and sinks swiftly. U.S. intelligence had reportedly confirmed the craft was carrying illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route.

Regional Response

• Venezuela denounced the operation as an “undeclared war” and called for a United Nations inquiry into U.S. military actions in the Caribbean.
• Critics in Congress questioned the legality of using lethal force against civilian vessels absent a self-defense justification.

Legal and Strategic Context Trump has designated major Venezuelan cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, granting statutory grounds for military action under his administration’s expanded counternarcotics doctrine. Legal analysts warn that lethal strikes in international waters may breach international maritime and human rights laws if not narrowly justified as self-defense.

Outlook With Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaling further crackdowns on drug networks during his regional tour, additional kinetic operations could follow if current crackdowns fail to stem the flow of narcotics into American communities.