Screenshot of the released footage of a Caribbean boat seconds before being destroyed by the US military. Photo: X/@SecWar.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Friday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported that Southern Command forces in the Caribbean Sea struck a “drug trafficking vessel” in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, not providing details about the location and the victims. The operation occurred less than 24 hours after US F-35 fighter jets were observed flying near the Venezuelan coast.
In a social media post, Hegseth stated that four “male narcoterrorists on board the vessel were killed in the attack.” Many experts in the US and abroad have described such strikes as extrajudicial killings.
“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narcoterrorists, and they were operating on a known narcotrafficking transit route,” the post stated. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!,” Hegseth added.
Earlier this morning, on President Trump's orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 3, 2025
The secretary’s statement aligns with his controversial meeting with US military leaders at Quantico on Thursday.
Venezuela condemns US provocations
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government has repeatedly complained of increased US military deployment and provocations, which many experts claim are intended to justify a regime change.
The new strike follows an incident on Thursday, when Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned an incursion by US F-35 fighter jets off the Venezuelan coast, describing it as an act of provocation. US Southern Command later confirmed it is conducting live-fire exercises in the Caribbean Sea.
The Venezuelan government reported the F-35 incursion to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, delivering a communication to the organization’s president and Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya.
On this diplomatic move, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil noted that the incident “not only represents a threat to our national sovereignty but also violates the norms of international law and the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. This serious situation is compounded by the growing militarization in the Caribbean, which constitutes clear harassment of Venezuela,” he added.
With this latest attack, which the United States government claims targets drug trafficking vessels, the number of such strikes has risen to four since the beginning of September. The number of unidentified victims has risen to 21. The US government has presented videos as the only evidence to support its controversial actions.
Helicopter crash in Aragua state
In a separate incident on Friday, the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) reported that an Enstrom 480 helicopter crashed in Aragua state at approximately 8:35 a.m. The aircraft, registration 61647 of the Bolivarian Military Aviation, went down “without reporting an emergency,” killing two officers.
Venezuela Condemns US Empire’s F-35 Flyover, Warns as a ‘Miscalculated Provocation’
A statement said that the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and commander-in-chief of the FANB, Nicolás Maduro, has ordered an investigation. The institution’s Air Accident Investigation Board has been activated to determine the possible causes of the incident.
President Petro condemns strike
Colombian President Gustavo Petro commented on the new US strike in a social media post.
“There are no narcoterrorists on the boats,” said Petro, adding that “the drug traffickers live in the US, Europe, and Dubai.”
“Launching missiles when they can be intercepted… violates the universal legal principle of proportionality. Therefore, it is murder,” he added. He reiterated his position that these US “kinetic strikes” are, in reality, extrajudicial killings.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SF
