Overview

• President Donald Trump said U.S. forces carried out a second kinetic strike in international waters, killing three presumed Venezuelan traffickers with no American casualties.
• Trump asserted the targeted boat was carrying cocaine and fentanyl and released video he says shows narcotics floating in the water, though independent verification remains absent.
• A day later, Trump told reporters the U.S. has eliminated three vessels in total, without providing dates or locations for the additional incident.
• Caracas denounced the actions as military aggression, said communications with Washington are “deshechas,” mobilized troops and militia, and protested an alleged U.S. boarding of a Venezuelan fishing boat.
• UN human-rights experts and legal analysts warned the lethal strikes may violate international law and amount to extrajudicial killings, while U.S. officials frame them as lawful SOUTHCOM counternarcotics operations.