• Trump announces a third U.S. military strike on Venezuelan drug vessels, claiming a total of three boats have been targeted.
• The latest strike reportedly killed three men labeled as "narco-terrorists", occurring in international waters.
• Previous strikes in early September have raised questions over their legality and the justification for military force.
• Maduro's government strongly criticizes U.S. actions, accusing it of military aggression and seeking regime change.

On September 15, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. military forces conducted a second strike against a Venezuelan drug vessel, resulting in the deaths of three individuals aboard. Trump emphasized that the strike targeted "confirmed narcoterrorists" operating in international waters and framed it as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking that he deems a threat to U.S. national security, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Trump's statement, shared via Truth Social, accompanied a video seemingly showing the destruction of the vessel. He reiterated, "BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!" The president did not provide any evidence for the vessel's cargo but suggested that prior strikes validated the U.S. military's aggressive stance against members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which he labeled a terrorist organization, according to CBS News and Newsweek.

This latest military action followed a previous strike earlier in September that reportedly resulted in eleven fatalities among those onboard. Since then, concerns regarding the legality of U.S. strikes against non-state actors in international waters have been raised, with bi-partisan criticism from some U.S. senators questioning the justifications for using military force for law enforcement purposes, as highlighted by BBC and The Hill.

In response to the strikes, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the actions as barbaric, claiming they constituted military aggression. He criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, referring to him as the "lord of death and war," and accused the U.S. of undermining Venezuela's sovereignty, according to reports from Los Angeles Times and Channel News Asia.

Furthermore, in a recent appearance, Trump mentioned that a third strike had occurred, although specific details about this incident remain unclear. The escalating military operations in the Caribbean come amid substantial U.S. naval presence, further heightening tensions between the two nations, as reported by South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency.