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yesterday

U.S. Confirms Strike on Suspected Venezuelan Drug Boat, Says 11 Tren de Aragua Members Killed

The operation signals a shift to military force against cartels in the Caribbean under newly asserted authorities.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses the media, in Caracas, Venezuela, September 1, 2025. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
Honduran criminal investigators with packages of cocaine seized from a plane coming from Venezuela, at the Hernan Acosta Mejia air base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 2020.
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
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Overview

  • President Donald Trump said the strike occurred in international waters in the southern Caribbean and released aerial video showing the vessel exploding.
  • A senior U.S. defense official confirmed a precision strike on a boat that departed Venezuela and was operated by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Tren de Aragua.
  • The White House has alleged the gang operates under Nicolás Maduro’s control, a claim contradicted by some declassified U.S. intelligence assessments.
  • U.S. forces have surged into the region with multiple Navy warships, a fast‑attack submarine, P‑8 patrol flights, and thousands of sailors and Marines under U.S. Southern Command.
  • Venezuela has mobilized troops and warned of resistance, regional reactions have been mixed, and the Pentagon said additional operational details will be released.