Trump boasts US blasted another boat in international waters, says three drug traffickers ‘en route to poison Americans,’ killed. Watch

US President Donald Trump on Friday (Sep 19)announced that US forces had destroyed another suspected drug trafficking vessel in international waters, killing three people on board. This is the third US strike in international waters in recent days. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the strike took place somewhere in the US Southern Command's area of operations, which spans Central and South America and the Caribbean. He did not specify the exact location, though past attacks in recent weeks have been carried out off the Venezuelan coast.

Traffickers en route "to poison Americans"

According to Trump, intelligence confirmed the “lethal kinetic strike” was carried out on his orders and claimed that the boat was transporting narcotics "along a known narcotrafficking passage en route to poison Americans." He shared a video clip showing a speedboat locked in crosshairs before being hit by ordnance and bursting into flames.

He claimed that the boat belonged to a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” but failed to mention which. “No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike,” he said, adding, “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!”

How legal are the US strikes in international waters?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have earlier defended the initial strike, insisting the targets were known cartel operatives. However, questions over legality and evidence are mounting. Amid reports that the US violated international law, the Daily Mail, citing a source familiar with the operation, previously alleged that the US "did not even know if there were drugs on the boat," suggesting the strike was meant to "illicit a response from (President Nicolás) Maduro and provoke him" into retaliating, "show his true colours". The Trump administration has not yet provided proof that any of the vessels were carrying narcotics.

However, Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of pursuing regime change in his country under the guise of an operation to combat drug trafficking.