U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Reuters/Yonhap News.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on the 3rd (local time) that the U.S. military had once again sunk a drug-smuggling vessel in international waters near Venezuela.

Secretary Hegseth wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that day, "Earlier this morning, acting under the orders of President Donald Trump, I directed a lethal kinetic strike against a drug-smuggling vessel linked to a designated terrorist organization within the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility."

He added, "Four male drug terrorists aboard the vessel were killed, and there were no U.S. casualties," noting that "this strike was conducted in international waters off the coast of Venezuela against a vessel transporting a massive quantity of narcotics intended to harm our people in the United States."

Hegseth further stated, "Our intelligence agencies have confirmed beyond a doubt that this vessel was smuggling drugs and operating along a known drug-trafficking route," and warned, "These strikes will continue until the attacks against the American people cease."

Secretary Hegseth also posted a video showing the boat moving at sea before being suddenly struck and engulfed in flames.

President Trump also wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that they had "prevented a ship carrying enough drugs to kill 25,000 to 50,000 people from entering U.S. territorial waters."

This marks the fourth time since the start of the second Trump administration that the U.S. military has publicly acknowledged sinking a vessel it identifies as a drug-smuggling boat in international waters near Venezuela.

When asked at a briefing whether President Trump needs congressional approval if he has declared war on international drug cartels, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, "The President directed these strikes against Venezuelan drug cartels consistent with his responsibility to protect U.S. interests abroad and advance national security and foreign policy objectives." She added, "This is in accordance with his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief and head of the executive branch to conduct foreign policy."

She also emphasized that "in each instance, the vessels were assessed by U.S. intelligence agencies to be linked to designated terrorist organizations that were smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States."

Yonhap News