Trump: US Strike on Boat From Venezuela Killed 11

A US strike on a boat from Venezuela killed 11 "terrorists," President Trump said Tuesday. The military strike on the vessel in the Caribbean is the first known action of its kind since the US sent warships to the area last month, reports Reuters. "We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "And there's more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country." He later provided more details in a Truth Social post.

• "Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility," Trump wrote. "The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike."

"Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America," Trump wrote. The president also posted a short video of a long speedboat appearing to explode in flames after a bright burst of light, the AP reports. On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned the US against pursuing regime change. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who departed Tuesday for a trip to Mexico and Ecuador to discuss issues including drug cartels, "wants the last name Trump to be stained with blood for centuries," the New York Times reports.