Hegseth wrote in a post on the “X” platform: “Yesterday, under the direction of (U.S.) President Donald Trump, the Department of Defense executed a lethal kinetic strike on a ship operated by an organization classified as terrorist, involved in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Hegseth continued: “On board the ship were two terrorists linked to drugs during the strike carried out in international waters. The terrorists were killed, and no American forces were harmed as a result of this strike.”
Earlier today, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced that the Bolivarian Armed Forces are prepared to support Colombia amid what he described as “increasing U.S. pressures aimed at humiliating and weakening this country under the pretext of combating drug trafficking,” according to him.
Previously, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt stated that “Trump is prepared to use all elements of American power to fight drug trafficking,” and did not rule out the possibility of “conducting a military operation in Venezuela,” following the deployment of U.S. warships, including a missile cruiser and an attack nuclear submarine, to the country’s coast, which Caracas described as “a provocation and an attempt to destabilize the region and a violation of international agreements regarding the non-nuclear status of the Caribbean region.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro commented on the destruction of one of the boats on September 16, saying, “The Americans committed a crime,” asserting that the boat was a fishing vessel.
