Trump says US hit ‘drug boat’ off Venezuela, vows land crackdown next
American forces have struck another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off Venezuela’s coast, according to United States President Donald Trump, who appeared to threaten further action inside Venezuelan territory.
Speaking at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday beside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, Trump praised the Navy’s efforts to combat what he called “cartel terrorists”, noting that another vessel had been hit on Saturday.
American forces have struck another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off Venezuela’s coast, according to United States President Donald Trump, who appeared to threaten further action inside Venezuelan territory.
Speaking at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday beside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, Trump praised the Navy’s efforts to combat what he called “cartel terrorists”, noting that another vessel had been hit on Saturday.
“In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water … we did another one last night. Now we just can’t find any,” Trump said.
While the president referred to a Saturday attack, it remains unclear whether he really meant Friday’s attack or an additional one.
“They’re not coming in by sea any more, so now we’ll have to start looking about the land because they’ll be forced to go by land,” he added in an apparent threat to strike Venezuela.
US claims that it is targeting drug traffickers could not be independently verified.
Russia, meanwhile, condemned US strikes on a boat allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela that killed four people on Friday and warned of potential escalation in the entire Caribbean region.
In a phone call to his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the attack, which took place in international waters.
“The ministers expressed serious concern about Washington’s escalating actions in the Caribbean Sea that are fraught with far-reaching consequences for the region,” according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the conversation.
“The Russian side has confirmed its full support and solidarity with the leadership and people of Venezuela in the current context.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that he had “every authorisation needed” to conduct military strikes on vessels off the coast of Venezuela. He did not provide more details about what the authorisation granted his office permission to do.
In a post on X following Friday’s strike, Hegseth claimed the vessel was transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people”.
“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!,” he said.
