The United States on Wednesday (Dec 17) announced that its forces had carried out another strike at a 'narco-trafficking' vessel. In a statement, the US military said that the latest Operation Southern Spear strike has killed 4 people. This comes just a day after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Dec 16) dramatically escalated his pressure campaign against Venezuela, announcing what he called a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country. In recent weeks, US forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region, operations that have killed nearly 90 people. Last week, American forces also seized a large oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, claiming it was transporting black-market oil in violation of US sanctions. Washington later announced fresh sanctions on additional vessels tied to the trade.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-turns-up-heat-on-venezuela-with-total-and-complete-blockade-of-oil-tankers-1765933286118">Trump turns up heat on Venezuela with ‘total and complete blockade’ of oil tankers</a><h2>At Pete Hegseth's instructions</h2>In a post on X, US Southern Command said, “On Dec. 17, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation in international waters.” It claimed that intelligence confirmed that the “vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed.”&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-shuts-doors-on-older-cars-is-your-vehicle-banned-in-delhi-new-bs-vi-rule-explained-1765943212616">Delhi shuts doors on older cars: Is your vehicle banned in Delhi? New BS VI rule EXPLAINED</a>It also posted a video which shows billowing smoke after the vessel was hit. Watch it here:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-dnt="true" align="center">On Dec. 17, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known… <a href="https://t.co/Yhu3LSOyea">pic.twitter.com/Yhu3LSOyea</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2001464448750621120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US forces carried out another strike on a suspected narco-trafficking boat, killing four people, the military said. The attack comes days after Trump ordered a “total blockade” of Venezuelan oil tankers, as US strikes in the region continue.

The United States on Wednesday (Dec 17) announced that its forces had carried out another strike at a 'narco-trafficking' vessel. In a statement, the US military said that the latest Operation Southern Spear strike has killed 4 people. This comes just a day after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Dec 16) dramatically escalated his pressure campaign against Venezuela, announcing what he called a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country. In recent weeks, US forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region, operations that have killed nearly 90 people. Last week, American forces also seized a large oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, claiming it was transporting black-market oil in violation of US sanctions. Washington later announced fresh sanctions on additional vessels tied to the trade. Also read | Trump turns up heat on Venezuela with ‘total and complete blockade’ of oil tankers At Pete Hegseth's instructions In a post on X, US Southern Command said, “On Dec. 17, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation in international waters.” It claimed that intelligence confirmed that the “vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed.” Also read | Delhi shuts doors on older cars: Is your vehicle banned in Delhi? New BS VI rule EXPLAINED It also posted a video which shows billowing smoke after the vessel was hit. Watch it here:

US forces carried out another strike on a suspected narco-trafficking boat, killing four people, the military said. The attack comes days after Trump ordered a “total blockade” of Venezuelan oil tankers, as US strikes in the region continue.

US strikes another ‘narco-trafficking’ boat, kills 4 day after Trump’s Venezuela blockade. Watch

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US strikes another ‘narco-trafficking’ boat, kills 4 day after Trump’s Venezuela blockade. Watch