US Military Conducts Fourth Lethal Strike on Suspected Drug Smuggling Boats in Caribbean

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military has conducted up to four lethal strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking within the USSOUTHCOM region, resulting in multiple fatalities. The vessels were described as being linked to designated terrorist organizations involved in narcotrafficking, with one attack killing three people and previous strikes causing additional deaths. Trump shared videos of the attacks and emphasized that these missions aim to stop drugs from reaching the United States, describing the narcotics as a threat intended to "poison Americans." These military actions have heightened tensions with Venezuela, with President Nicolás Maduro accusing the U.S. of using drug trafficking claims as a pretext for regime change efforts and disputing the authenticity of the U.S. released evidence. The U.S. justifies the strikes as part of a broader effort to combat drug cartels, some of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration earlier this year. The operations have sparked criticism from UN observers who question the legality of the attacks under international law.