U.S. Strike on Sixth Venezuelan Boat Kills Six

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered a sixth strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, saying that, under his authority as Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of War had carried out a «lethal kinetic strike» on a vessel he described as being linked to a designated terrorist organization involved in narcotrafficking in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.

Trump claims that «six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel» were killed in the strike led by Pete Hegseth, an assertion made without evidence, as noted by several media outlets, including The New York Times.

Nearly 30 deaths

This sixth U.S. military operation targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs toward the United States has resulted in nearly 30 deaths among suspected criminals.

In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed that U.S. intelligence had confirmed the vessel «was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.»

«Indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it»

The disputed target of America’s fifth strike off Venezuela

Several observers have challenged the president’s repeated claims since the beginning of these strikes against the cartels, questioning whether all those targeted were in fact narcotraffickers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently stated that «indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it», asserting that the fifth vessel struck by the United States off Venezuela’s coast did not belong to Venezuela but to Colombia.

The White House dismissed Petro’s claim as «baseless and reprehensible», rejecting the Colombian president’s assertion that the vessel struck by the United States was Colombian and carried Colombian citizens.

Trump concluded his post by confirming the deaths of everyone aboard the boat, writing that «the strike was conducted in international waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were harmed.»