U.S. forces hit three boats allegedly linked to narco-trafficking routes, with three people killed and others jumping overboard; search and rescue efforts were activated.
The actions are part of the Trump administration’s broader pressure campaign against Venezuela, justified as an escalation in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) that it had struck three additional boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling, killing three people, while others jumped into the water and may have survived.
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command, which oversees operations in South America, did not disclose the locations of the attacks. Earlier strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Footage shared by Southern Command on social media showed the boats moving in close formation, an unusual pattern. The military said the vessels were travelling as a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and “had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes.” No evidence was provided to substantiate the claim.
According to the military, three people were killed when the first boat was hit. Those aboard the other two vessels jumped overboard and moved away from the boats before they were attacked. Southern Command said it immediately informed the U.S. Coast Guard so that search and rescue operations could be initiated.
The strikes took place on Tuesday. The statement did not clarify whether those who jumped into the water were later rescued.
The involvement of the Coast Guard is significant, as the U.S. military has faced intense scrutiny following an incident in early September in which U.S. forces killed survivors of an earlier attack with a subsequent strike on their disabled boat. Several Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the military committed a crime, while the Trump administration and some Republican lawmakers argued that the follow-up strike was lawful.
The latest strikes raise the total number of known boat attacks to 33 and the death toll to at least 110 since early September, according to figures released by the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump has defended the strikes as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States, asserting that the country is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Alongside the attacks, the Trump administration has increased its military presence in the region as part of a mounting pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the United States.
Meanwhile, the CIA was responsible for a drone strike last week on a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is classified.
It marked the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began its strikes in September, representing a significant escalation in the administration’s campaign against Maduro’s government.
(with inputs from AP)
