Overview

• Trump said the strike occurred in international waters off Venezuela against a vessel tied to a designated terrorist organization that was trafficking narcotics.
• He reported that six male “narcoterrorists” were killed in the attack and that no U.S. service members were injured.
• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared video footage of the strike on his X account.
• The administration presented this as the latest in a series of operations, following strikes announced on September 2 and September 19.
• U.S. forces have increased their presence in the southern Caribbean, with destroyers Jason Dunham, Gravely and Sampson, cruiser Lake Erie, a nuclear submarine, amphibious ships, P-8 surveillance aircraft and about 4,000 personnel deployed, while Human Rights Watch and some U.N. Security Council members have voiced legal concerns.