CARACAS — The United States military carried out an airstrike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel off the coast of Venezuela on October 3, killing four people aboard. The operation marks the fourth such mission in recent weeks, bringing the total number of deaths to 21 under President Trump’s intensified campaign against drug cartels.

According to U.S. defense officials, the strike was part of ongoing maritime interdiction efforts in the Caribbean Sea targeting transnational drug networks. Unclassified video footage released by the Pentagon shows a missile launched from a U.S. aircraft, striking the vessel before it exploded and sank.

Venezuelan authorities strongly condemned the action, calling it an “illegal incursion” into their airspace and a violation of national sovereignty. The incident further heightens tensions between Washington and Caracas, already strained over territorial disputes and narcotics enforcement operations in the region.