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According to a high-ranking defense spokesperson, the US military carried out a lethal strike on a boat in the Pacific Ocean, killing four individuals.

“A US joint task force carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a craft operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in international waters. Surveillance confirmed the vessel was transiting along a known drug smuggling route and was engaged in illicit drug transport. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no US military forces were harmed.”

Context and Prior Strikes

The statement follows a day after an announcement regarding a naval blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on online platforms, the US president alleged Venezuela of using oil profits to fund drug trafficking and criminal activities, vowing to escalate the military presence.

Only on Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had carried out strikes on three boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Pacific, leading to the deaths of eight people. Beginning on 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 individuals, most off the coast of Venezuela.

Government Defends Tactics Amid Pressure

The government has encountered growing demands to release video of a September 2nd vessel attack. However, the defense secretary have refused to do so. The administration has supported its campaign as a successful operation, arguing it has prevented drugs from reaching US shores and has pushed back on concerns that it is stretching the bounds of legal military action.

Although the administration has stated the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the US, remarks from a top official appeared to suggest a broader geopolitical aim. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor remarked the president “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Venezuela's president surrenders or concedes.”

This suggests the series of strikes may be linked to a push to oust Venezuela's sitting government.