Trump says U.S. military targeted second Venezuelan boat allegedly carrying drugs

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. military had carried out a strike on a second Venezuelan boat allegedly carrying “illegal narcotics” into the United States.

Announcing the strike on social media, Trump said the boat was operated by “narcoterrorists.”

“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,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S. These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike. BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER,” the U.S. President said.

The first such strike took place earlier in September. The strike was the first known operation since Trump administration’s recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean for combating what Washington describes as drug cartels operating in Venezuela.

The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, condemned the strikes, calling them an "outrageous violation of the law,” according to NBC.

The Venezuelan government has argued that the boat targeted earlier this month was a fishing vessel. A day after that strike, Trump threatened further escalation, telling reporters that “Venezuela has been a very bad actor.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had vowed one day before that strike to declare his country a "republic in arms" should it be attacked by U.S. forces.

Maduro has vowed to defend his country from ‘U.S. aggression’.