US President said vessel carried drugs; Intensifies US military presence in the Caribbean
The United States President, (Republican Party), said on Monday (15.Set.2025) that the US military performed an attack on a Venezuelan vessel that would be linked to drug trafficking. According to him, 3 people died in the action, which took place in international waters.
It is the 2nd attack in a few weeks against boats that would carry drugs towards the US territory. Trump, however, had no evidence that the vessel was loaded with narcotics.
“This morning, under my orders, military forces of They conducted a 2nd kinetic attack on extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the Southcom responsibility area, ” He said in his social truth account.
classified cartels as a threat “National security, foreign policy and vital interests in the US”. The South Command (Southcom) is the military arm responsible for 31 countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The publication was accompanied by a video of almost 30 seconds, marked as “Not confidential”. The images show a vessel exploding on the high seas and on fire.
Watch (27s):
Later, Trump said there was “Evidence” of illicit loading. “It was enough to look at the cargo spread across the ocean, large bags of cocaine and fentanil”, declared.
A Reuters He said he made initial checks in the video, but the quality of images and blurred areas prevented the detection of digital manipulation. The agency said it will continue to review the material.
In the 1st attack, also circulated similar video. Venezuelan authorities even said that the images had been produced with artificial intelligence, but preliminary checks found no evidence of manipulation.
The Pentagon did not detail which drugs would be on board, the volume of the load or the weapons used in the stocks. Government sources heard on condition of anonymity said Reuters that the boat hit in September seemed to be maneuvering to return when it was shot, which raised questions about the legitimacy of the attack.
Military climbing
The offensive is in the context of US military reinforcement in the Caribbean. Five F-35 fighters landed in Puerto Rico on Saturday (13.Set), part of a displacement of 10 aircraft. There are still at least 7 war ships and 1 American nuclear submarine in the region.
Trump indicated reporters in the 2nd (15.set) the possibility of expanding operations to the ground, not just the sea, against alleged smuggler. According to him, “When they come to the ground, let’s stop them the same way we stop the boats.” Then it minimized the climb as part of the dissuasive effect: “But maybe, talking about it a little, that doesn’t happen.”
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, told naval sailors and Marines that the mission is not training, but a real operation against drug trafficking. In a publication in the X, he said:
“We will track them, kill them and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere, in the moments and places of our choice.”
