US military again targeted boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, Trump says

U.S. strikes another alleged Venezuelan drug boat

The United States military struck another alleged drug boat coming from Venezuela, President Trump announced. Trump said the strike killed "3 male terrorists" in the post on Truth Social.

The U.S. military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel, according to President Donald Trump. 

What they're saying:

"The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.," Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the strike. "These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests."

Alleged drug boat targeted

Dig deeper:

Trump said the strike was carried out Monday, nearly two weeks after another military strike on what the Trump administration says was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11.

The Trump administration justified the earlier strike as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.

The backstory:

The Trump administration has claimed self-defense as a legal justification for the first strike, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing the drug cartels "pose an immediate threat" to the nation.

The Trump administration has railed specifically against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the scourge of illegal drugs in U.S. communities.

What's next:

U.S. officials said the strike early this month targeted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. And they indicated more military strikes on drug targets would be coming as the U.S. looks to "wage war" on cartels.

Freeze frame of video showing before and aftermath of air strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela. (President Donald Trump Truth Social) 

Venezuelan president responds

The other side:

Maduro during a press conference earlier on Monday lashed out at the U.S. government, accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are "to intimidate and seek regime change" in the South American country.

Maduro also repudiated what he described as a weekend operation in which 18 Marines raided a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Caribbean.

"What were they looking for? Tuna? What were they looking for? A kilo of snapper? Who gave the order in Washington for a missile destroyer to send 18 armed Marines to raid a tuna fishing vessel?" he said. "They were looking for a military incident. If the tuna fishing boys had any kind of weapons and used weapons while in Venezuelan jurisdiction, it would have been the military incident that the warmongers, extremists who want a war in the Caribbean, are seeking."