The United States has once again escalated tensions in the Caribbean with a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel, carried out Thursday under the orders of President Donald Trump, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

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Three people lost their lives in the attack, which Hegseth claimed targeted a “vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization” in international waters.

The Pentagon released a brief video showing the boat struck and exploding, but no evidence has been provided to substantiate claims of drug trafficking. Hegseth framed the strike as part of a campaign against “narco-terrorists,” warning that U.S. forces would continue lethal operations unless drug shipments ceased.

Since September, U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed more than 60 people and hit at least 18 vessels, including boats and semi-submersibles. Human rights observers, including U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk, have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced U.S. strikes as part of a deliberate plan by Washington to destabilize his government. He pointed to the broader U.S. military build-up in the region as evidence of a campaign aimed at undermining Venezuelan sovereignty.

Trump hinted that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” while simultaneously denying any plans to go to war with Caracas in an interview with CBS. When asked about potential “land strikes”, he refused to confirm or deny them. “I don’t talk to a reporter about whether or not I’m going to strike,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have limited the president’s ability to authorize attacks on Venezuela without congressional approval, leaving the door open for further unilateral military actions.

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