President Donald Trump said Tuesday, September 2, that US forces had attacked a boat carrying drugs from Venezuela and "took it out."
The US forces "shot out a boat..., a drug-carrying boat, lots of drugs in that boat," Trump said in the White House. "So we took it out."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the vessel was being operated by a "designated narco-terrorist organization." He described the operation as a lethal strike. The US had recently announced plans to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.
The US has not signaled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed. Still, President Nicolás Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela's coast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.
The press office of Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement. The Pentagon did not offer any immediate comment on the reported incident.