US Military Strike Kills Six on Alleged Drug Vessel Near Venezuela: Escalating Caribbean Operations

The United States conducted a military strike on a vessel allegedly transporting narcotics near Venezuelan waters, resulting in six fatalities, according to President Donald Trump's announcement on Tuesday.

Trump confirmed that all casualties occurred on the targeted boat, with no harm to American forces. This marks the fifth lethal operation in the Caribbean region, reflecting the administration's policy of treating suspected drug traffickers as unlawful combatants warranting military intervention.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the operation Tuesday morning. As with previous incidents, Trump released footage of the strike, which Hegseth subsequently shared on his X platform account.

The released black-and-white footage depicts a seemingly stationary small vessel on water. Within seconds, an aerial projectile strikes the boat, causing a powerful explosion. The recording continues to show the vessel burning for several seconds afterward.

https://t.co/AYyPZuUsm9 pic.twitter.com/1gY3vBnvqa

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 14, 2025

According to the President, the operation occurred in international waters. He stated that intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, maintained connections with "narcoterrorist networks," and was traveling along a recognized drug trafficking route.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to The Associated Press's request for additional information regarding this recent strike, though a defense official verified the accuracy of details shared in the social media post.

Bipartisan frustration is mounting in Congress over these military actions. Several Republicans are demanding more information from the White House concerning the legal justification and specific details of these operations. Meanwhile, Democrats argue that these strikes violate both U.S. and international legal frameworks.

Last week, the Senate voted on a war powers resolution aimed at prohibiting the Trump administration from conducting such strikes without explicit Congressional authorization. However, the resolution failed to pass.

In a memorandum to Congress obtained by The Associated Press, the Trump administration declared that "the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations" and that Trump had directed the Pentagon to "conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict."

According to two anonymous U.S. officials familiar with the situation, the administration has yet to provide lawmakers with substantive evidence proving that the vessels targeted in these fatal strikes were actually transporting narcotics.

California Senator Adam Schiff, who advocated for last week's vote on the Venezuela resolution, stated on X that the president's authority to respond to armed attacks or threats is limited and does not extend to these circumstances.

"These continued strikes — 27 killed to date — risk getting the U.S. into a full fledged war," Schiff remarked, indicating his intention to push for another vote if the operations continue.

These military actions follow an unprecedented recent buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean region.

Last week, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino told military leaders that the U.S. government knows the drug-trafficking accusations used to justify these Caribbean operations are false, suggesting that the true intention is to "force a regime change" in Venezuela.

Padrino emphasized that Venezuela does not view the deployment of U.S. warships as merely "propaganda-like action" and cautioned about potential escalation.

"I want to warn the population: We have to prepare ourselves because the irrationality with which the U.S. empire operates is not normal," Padrino stated during a televised meeting. "It's anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude, and vulgar."