President Donald Trump says the US has carried out a strike against a drug-carrying vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 'Narcoterrorists'.
He posted on social media that Tuesday's US military operation had targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Trump said the vessel was in international waters and was transporting illegal narcotics bound for the US.
The Trump administration has ratcheted up military and political pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in recent weeks, including through a $50m (£37m) reward for information leading to his arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Maduro has vowed Venezuela would fight any attempted US military intervention.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated that US forces had 'shot out' a 'drug-carrying boat' in the vicinity of Venezuela. 'A lot of drugs in that boat,' he said.
Trump added he had been briefed on the incident by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.
Later the president posted on his Truth Social platform: 'Earlier this morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.' He claimed the strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action, stating, 'No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!'
His post included a grainy aerial video showing a motor boat speeding across choppy waters before it bursts into flames.
On the Venezuelan side, Communications Minister Freddy Nanez suggested without evidence that the video shared by Trump was created with artificial intelligence.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that 'today the US military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organisation'.
It remains unclear what specific drugs the vessel was believed to have been carrying.
Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has designated several drug-trafficking organisations and criminal groups in Latin America as terrorist organisations, including Tren de Aragua and the 'Cartel of the Suns', which US authorities allege is connected to Maduro and other high-ranking officials.
The US military has bolstered its presence in the southern Caribbean over the past two months, deploying additional naval vessels and thousands of Marines and sailors. The Trump administration has indicated readiness to use force to counter drug trafficking into the US.
Trump warned, 'There's more where that came from' regarding future military actions. Venezuela's government has reacted with hostility to US military deployments, with Maduro threatening to 'declare a republic in arms' should the US launch an attack, labeling the US military posture as the greatest threat the continent has faced in a century.
