US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that military operations against cartels would continue, setting the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America even as basic questions about a deadly strike against a vessel from Venezuela remained unanswered.
"We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't stop with just this strike," Hegseth said on Fox News on Wednesday.
"Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated Narco terrorist will face the same fate," Hegseth said.
"You want to try to traffic drugs? It's a new day. It's a different day. And so those 11 drug traffickers are no longer with us, sending a very clear signal that this is an activity the United States is not going to tolerate in our hemisphere," Hegseth added.
The Pentagon chief said he watched Tuesday's strike live, but declined to give details on how it was conducted.
"We knew exactly who was in that boat. We knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented, and that was Tren de Aragua," Hegseth said, referring to a gang that Washington designated as a terrorist organisation earlier this year.
It is unknown whether the vessel was destroyed using a drone or torpedo or perhaps by some other means.
The US military said it killed 11 people in the strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, in the first known operation since President Donald Trump's recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean.
Little is known about the strike, including what legal justification for the strike was used, or even what drugs were on board, but Hegseth said operations would continue.
Pentagon itself has not released specifics about the crew and why it chose to kill those on board.
The decision to blow up a suspected drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of seizing the vessel and apprehending its crew, is highly unusual.
The United States has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks, with the aim of following through on a pledge by Trump to crack down on drug cartels.
Seven US warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or expected to be there soon, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines.
Asked about Venezuela's close relationship with China, Hegseth took aim at Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.
"The only person that should be worried is Nicolas Maduro, who is ... effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state," Hegseth said.
Pressure on Maduro
The Trump administration's singling out of Maduro has raised alarms in Caracas that their government might be the real target.
Last month, the United States doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups.
Venezuelan officials have repeatedly said that Tren de Aragua is no longer active in their country after they dismantled it during a prison raid in 2023.
Trump shared a video on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday that appeared to show footage from overhead drones of a speedboat at sea exploding and then on fire in Tuesday's operation.
Venezuela Communications Minister, Freddy Nanez suggested in a post on social media that the video shared by Trump was created with artificial intelligence.
Reuters news agency said it conducted initial checks on the video, including a review of its visual elements using a manipulation detection tool that did not show evidence of manipulation.
However, thorough verification is an ongoing process, and Reuters will continue to review the footage as more information becomes available.
Trinidad and Tobago praises strike
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, meanwhile, praised the US strike.
"I, along with most of the country, am happy that the US naval deployment is having success in their mission," Persad-Bissessar said in a statement late on Tuesday.
"The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is flying to Mexico, has said that the drugs aboard the vessel were likely headed to Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Washington's top diplomat will visit Mexico City and Ecuador in his latest trip to the region, where he will meet with counterparts and the presidents of the two countries.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has maintained good ties with Trump, but the administration's trade policies and efforts to combat drug cartels have disrupted the relationship between the two neighbours.
Sheinbaum has said the US and Mexico are nearing a security agreement to expand cooperation in fighting the cartels, but she has flatly rejected suggestions by the Trump administration that it could carry out unilateral military operations in Mexico.
The US military has ramped up airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels and Trump has authorised the Pentagon to begin using military force against the groups.
