U.S. Navy Strikes Venezuelan Ship in Caribbean Sea

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy had attacked and destroyed a ship carrying drugs from Venezuela.

“It happened just moments ago. There was a significant amount of drugs on board,” Trump stated, adding that “there are other” ships that could also become targets.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the operation took place in the southern Caribbean, stating that the ship belonged to a “narco-terrorist” cartel, although specific details about the vessel and its cargo were not disclosed. Rubio emphasized that such actions are part of the United States’ efforts to combat transnational criminal groups, including Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns and other organizations designated as terrorist by the Trump administration.

Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that his country was on “maximum alert” in response to U.S. warships approaching the Caribbean coast. He accused the U.S. of provocations and threats to Venezuela’s sovereignty, vowing a decisive response if an attack were to occur. At the time of publication, there had been no official comments from Venezuelan authorities regarding the destruction of the ship.