Today's News: U.S. Military Strikes Alleged Venezuelan Drug Smuggling Vessels
The Trump administration justified these actions as a measure against threats to U.S. national security, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned them as “heinous crimes.”
Overview
Date: September 15, 2025
Summary: The United States military conducted two kinetic strikes on September 2 and September 15, 2025, against boats in international waters off Venezuela, alleging they were transporting illegal narcotics and “narcoterrorists.” These strikes resulted in the deaths of 11 people in the first incident and 3 in the second, as announced by President Trump. The Trump administration justified these actions as a measure against threats to U.S. national security, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned them as “heinous crimes” and military aggression aimed at regime change for oil, denying the drug trafficking claims. The legality of these strikes under international and domestic law is a major point of contention, with legal experts and lawmakers questioning the use of lethal force against suspected smugglers without due process.
Sources
The Washington Post - U.S. kills 3 in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says
The Wall Street Journal - U.S. Strikes Second Alleged Drug Boat From Venezuela, Trump Says
Key Points
The U.S. military conducted two “kinetic strikes” on September 2 and September 15, 2025, against vessels originating from Venezuela in international waters.
President Trump announced both strikes, stating they targeted “positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists” transporting illegal narcotics (cocaine and fentanyl) to the U.S.
The first strike killed 11 people, and the second strike killed 3 people. Trump claimed no U.S. forces were harmed in either operation.
The Trump administration justifies these strikes as necessary to protect U.S. national security and its citizens from the threat of illicit drugs, citing over 100,000 American overdose deaths annually.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro condemned the attacks as “heinous crimes” and “military attacks on civilians” that violate U.S. and international laws, accusing the U.S. of seeking “regime change for oil” rather than drug interdiction.
The legality of these military actions is widely questioned by lawmakers, legal specialists, and human rights advocates, who argue that summarily killing suspected smugglers without arrest or trial lacks clear legal precedent or congressional authorization for war against cartels.
The U.S. has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying warships, F-35 fighter jets, and other assets, ostensibly for enhanced counternarcotics operations, contributing to rising tensions with Venezuela.
President Trump issued strong warnings that the U.S. would continue to “hunt” those transporting drugs that can kill Americans, signaling a new, more aggressive approach to drug interdiction.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times: Reports that the vast majority of cocaine in Latin America comes from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, with almost none produced in Venezuela. It also notes that Venezuela plays almost no role in the production and trade of fentanyl, which is primarily produced in Mexico with chemicals from China, according to DEA data. The article highlights that legal specialists, including retired top military lawyers, have called it a crime for the United States to summarily kill suspected smugglers.
CNN: Notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to provide specific details on the first strike, stating only that the U.S. had “the absolute and complete authority to conduct that.” It also quotes Sen. Jack Reed, who stated, “There is no evidence – none – that this strike was conducted in self-defense.”
Fox News: Features Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s explicit statement that “What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up. Some of these boats need to be not just intercepted but stopped.” President Trump claimed to have seen evidence of the cargo, saying, “It was spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place.”
The Washington Post: Reports that President Trump suggested his administration was preparing to take military action against land-based cartels, presumably via Mexico. It details the recovery of two bodies with “signs of trauma” in Trinidad and Tobago following the first strike, and quotes Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar supporting the U.S. action, saying, “I prefer seeing drug and gun traffickers blown to pieces.” The article also mentions the doubling of a reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Wall Street Journal: Observes that the unclassified video posted by Trump appears to show the boat “barely moving or stopped in the water when it was destroyed,” and that “no drugs visible in the ocean” were seen in the footage. It also cites experts who say Venezuelan drug gangs do not produce or smuggle fentanyl. The article quotes Trump claiming that the strikes were deterring fishermen, saying, “Probably stopping some fishermen too. To be honest, if I were a fisherman, I wouldn’t want to go fishing either.”
El País: Mentions that human rights advocates denounced the administration for “normalizing extrajudicial killings.” It also notes that Trump claimed to have intercepted communications confirming the drug trafficking, though these have not been made public.
Contrasting Details
Presence and Type of Drugs: President Trump (Fox News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, El País) claimed “Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place” were “spattered all over the ocean” after the strikes. However, The Wall Street Journal noted that “There were no drugs visible in the ocean in the footage released by the administration.” Furthermore, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal both cite experts indicating that “Venezuela plays almost no role in the production and trade of fentanyl” and “Venezuelan drug gangs don’t produce or smuggle fentanyl.”
Boat’s Movement and Immediacy of Threat: The Trump administration (CNN, Fox News) implied the boats were actively heading to the U.S. and posed an immediate threat. In contrast, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that the first boat “altered its course and appeared to have turned around before the attack began” after spotting a U.S. military aircraft. The Wall Street Journal corroborated this, stating the first boat “had turned around and begun heading back to shore” and observed the video of the second strike showed the boat “barely moving or stopped.”
Identity of Casualties and Group Affiliation: President Trump (The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, El País) asserted that the individuals on the first boat were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and that all targets were “confirmed narcoterrorists.” However, CNN reported that “Defense Department officials did not present conclusive evidence that the targets of the first attack were members of Tren de Aragua.” The Wall Street Journal stated that the claim of Tren de Aragua affiliation was “disputed by Venezuela’s leftist regime,” and the Venezuelan government (The New York Times, El País) claimed the 11 men from the first strike were not drug traffickers.
Destination of Drug Shipments: Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements on the destination of the first boat’s alleged cargo differed slightly. The Wall Street Journal reported Rubio initially said the boat was “probably been heading to Trinidad and Tobago with contraband intended for Caribbean nations,” but then “The next day, Rubio said the alleged drug cargo was ‘eventually’ headed to the U.S.”
Legal Justification for Strikes: The Trump administration (The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, El País) maintains the strikes were “fully consistent with the law of armed conflict,” invoking “constitutional authority as commander in chief and the right of self-defense under international law.” Conversely, legal specialists, human rights lawyers, and multiple senators (The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, El País) strongly dispute this, arguing that summary killings of suspected smugglers are a crime, drug trafficking is not punishable by death, Congress has not authorized a war against cartels, and there is no evidence the strikes were conducted in self-defense.
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