Overview

• President Trump said U.S. forces hit a drug-carrying vessel in international waters and released a video of the strike, reporting no American casualties.
• U.S. officials attributed the boat to the Tren de Aragua, labeled a narcoterrorist group, and said it had departed Venezuela; Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly confirmed the operation.
• Caracas rejected the U.S. account, alleged the video was produced with artificial intelligence, mobilized troops and militias, and pressed regional bodies and the UN for support.
• The strike follows an expanded U.S. counternarcotics posture that deployed multiple warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and thousands of Marines to the southern Caribbean.
• Legal and regional concerns intensified as governments questioned sovereignty and use of force, while Washington’s policy drive includes DOJ actions and a reported $50 million reward tied to Maduro-linked networks.