On Thursday, U.S. forces targeted a suspected drug ship in the Caribbean, resulting in some crew members surviving the attack, according to officials.
It remains uncertain if the U.S. military has provided any support to these survivors or if they’re currently in military custody.
Officials who spoke to Reuters regarding the incident did not elaborate further.
This marks the first report of survivors in what has been a significant offensive against a narcotics network allegedly led by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
The White House and Pentagon did not respond to inquiries for comments on the matter.
Since September, U.S. military operations have destroyed at least five vessels suspected of drug smuggling off the Venezuelan coast via missile strikes.
More than 20 individuals associated with drug-related terrorism have reportedly died in these airstrikes.
Recently, on Tuesday, another air raid targeted a Venezuelan drug ship, killing six people aboard, as shown in a video posted by Trump.
This latest attack followed Army Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement of Adm. Alvin Holsey’s impending retirement at the end of the year; Holsey oversees counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.
Holsey had seemed to express concerns about the frequency of these strikes before Hegseth’s announcement, a report suggested, though Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell categorically rejected those claims.
Parnell stated, “This is a complete lie. It never happened. I had no hesitations or concerns about this mission.”
The strikes are part of an intensifying conflict between the Trump administration and the Venezuelan government.
U.S. military efforts have grown to include guided missile destroyers, F-35 jets, nuclear submarines, and roughly 6,500 troops in the area.
President Trump indicated on Wednesday that he might extend operations against drug cartels based in Venezuela to include ground actions as well.
“Now that we have conquered the seas, we are certainly looking to land now,” he commented during a press briefing in the Oval Office.
“A lot of drugs in Venezuela come in by sea, and you know that, but we’re also going to stop them by land.”
