Particle.news
Download on the App Store
152 ARTICLES
·
6d ago

U.S. Strikes Drug Boat That Departed Venezuela; Trump Says 11 From Tren de Aragua Killed

The publicly announced attack escalates Washington’s counter-narcotics mission into lethal force, intensifying legal and diplomatic strains with Venezuela.

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)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is seen at the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Overview

  • President Donald Trump said U.S. forces conducted a kinetic strike in the southern Caribbean on a drug-carrying vessel that left Venezuela, claiming 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members were killed.
  • A senior defense official confirmed a precision strike in international waters, while the Pentagon released few details as the White House circulated aerial footage showing a speedboat exploding.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the target as a vessel operated by a designated narco‑terrorist group and noted the broader campaign against cartels would continue.
  • Trump has alleged Tren de Aragua operates under Nicolás Maduro’s control, a claim contradicted by a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment that found Maduro is likely not directing the gang.
  • The operation follows a recent U.S. naval and Marine buildup in the region and has drawn sharp warnings from Caracas, which has mobilized forces, lodged U.N. complaints, and vowed to resist any attack.