Screenshot of video footage released by the US empire's department of defense, showing a strike against a small boat allegedly carrying drugs. Photo: CNN.
The president of the US empire, Donald Trump, and secretary of state, Marco Rubio, have claimed that US imperial military forces carried out a “lethal attack” on a “vessel” they said was transporting drugs from Venezuela in Caribbean waters.
The attack, allegedly made this Tuesday, September 2, comes following the news about eight warships from the US colony being deployed in the Caribbean, which Washington claims are being used to combat drug trafficking. It also accuses President Nicolás Maduro’s government of involvement in drug trafficking—most notably with no evidence for their claims—and has increased the reward for information leading to his “capture,” violating international laws and conventions.
“This morning, pursuant to my orders, US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua (TDA) narco-terrorists in the Southern Command area of responsibility,” Trump claimed on social media. “The TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization operating under the control of Nicolás Maduro.”
President Trump added that “the attack occurred while the terrorists were in international waters transporting illegal narcotics bound for the United States. The attack resulted in the deaths of 11 terrorists in action. No members of the US Armed Forces were injured. Please let this serve as a warning to anyone considering importing drugs into the United States. Be carefull! Thank you for your attention!”
Secretary Rubio reiterated what Trump said on social media: “Today the US military carried out a lethal attack in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel that had departed Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narcoterrorist organization.”
Both Trump and Rubio accompanied their posts with the following video. Information such as the location, date, time of recording, and other details were blurred in the video:
. @POTUS “Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of… pic.twitter.com/aAyKOb9RHb
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) September 2, 2025
Contradictions
The video generated numerous reactions on social media, including disbelief and outrage. Even mainstream media usually complacent with Washington’s imperialist narratives gave space to analyze the truth of the likely fictional video footage.
Some people, like journalist Helena Villar, RT’s correspondent in the US colony, wondered how such a small boat could fit 11 people and a large amount of drugs. “If they really killed 11 people in the attack on that boat, there were fewer drugs than at a fraternity party on an American campus,” the journalist opined. “It simply doesn’t fit.”
Others highlighted possible violations of international law, human rights, and due process, as the vessel was not boarded and detained, nor were its occupants arrested and interrogated in compliance with current international protocols. The identities of the deceased, nor their ages or genders, have been revealed, nor has it been reported whether the bodies were recovered and will be returned to their families. “How did they know the vessel was carrying drugs before attacking it? Cartels don’t place large emblems on their cargo,” noted the Venezuelanalysis website, which also emphasized: “The US president does not have the power to order assassinations on foreign soil or in international waters.”
The La Tabla news website published an article criticizing the immediate use of lethal force and the failure to comply with protocols requiring gradual escalation (signals, warnings, non-lethal force). It notes that the use of Aegis destroyers (for naval warfare) against a speedboat is disproportionate, and that there is no evidence of boarding attempts or cargo identification, a mandatory step in real interdiction.
“The ‘narcoterrorism’ narrative is not supported by operational data, suggesting an ex post facto justification,” says La Tabla.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also weighed in on the matter: “If this is true, it’s murder anywhere in the world. We’ve been capturing civilians transporting drugs for decades without killing them. Those transporting drugs aren’t the big drug traffickers, but the very poor young people of the Caribbean and the Pacific.”
Some people reasoned that a boat carrying drug shipments does not normally carry so many people and that it could be a sign of another type of activity (illegal immigrants, human trafficking, etc.). Therefore, they believe the way the boat was attacked could have resulted in the deaths of innocent people.
Rubio was questioned by reporters on Tuesday about the location of the boat’s sinking, its size, and other details, to which he responded that the Pentagon would provide more information in the coming hours. However, he did state that the boat was “probably headed to Trinidad,” which reinforces the aforementioned doubts, given the illegal migrant routes between that island and Venezuela.
Several people claim that the video shows no more than four or five people, not 11, as Trump claimed. Another interesting detail is that Trump accused the alleged drug traffickers of being part of the “Tren de Aragua,” despite the fact that in recent weeks he had stopped mentioning that particular organization, preferring instead to mention the fictional “Cartel of the Suns.”
US Forces Destroy Small ‘Venezuelan’ Boat Allegedly Carrying Drugs—11 Killed
AI usage
Venezuela’s Minister for Communications Freddy Ñáñez stated that there is a high probability that the video was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
“It seems that Marco Rubio continues to lie to his president,” Ñáñez said. “After leading him into a dead end, he is now handing him an AI video as ‘proof.'”
The minister explained that, according to Google’s Gemini AI, the video shows signs of being artificially created. Ñáñez strongly condemned the use of such tactics to justify war narratives: “Enough, Marco Rubio, of encouraging war and trying to stain President Donald Trump’s hands with blood.”
The minister detailed why Gemini stated that the video was most likely created using AI, providing the following assessment of the elements of the video:
“• The video shows a boat being targeted and then exploding in a way that looks like a simplified, almost cartoon-like animation, rather than a realistic depiction of an explosion.
• The video contains motion artifacts and lack of realistic detail often seen in AI-generated videos. The water, in particular, looks highly stylized and unnatural.
• The content of the video seems to be composed of different elements, including the “UNCLASSIFIED” and a watermark from an unknown source. These elements, combined with the lack of detail, are common in AI-generated content.“
(RedRadioVE) by Luigino Bracci Roa
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
