By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Worthy News) – A drug-related standoff between Venezuela and the United States further escalated Saturday as U.S. Vice President JD Vance defended a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking speedboat that killed 11 people in the southern Caribbean.
The September 2 strike targeted alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Washington has labeled a terrorist organization.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump released drone footage of the attack, saying the vessel carried “massive amounts of drugs.” He declared the 11 dead were “terrorists killed in action.”
Trump said the strike was part of a broader U.S. crackdown on drugs, arguing America’s fentanyl epidemic is comparable to wartime losses. He claimed overdoses kill “300,000 a year,” far above official estimates, but said the toll justifies military action. “Think if you’re in a war and you lose 300,000. We’re not going to allow it to happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Official data show about 410,000 Americans died of overdoses during President Joe Biden’s four years in office, with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids the leading cause. Trump suggested the real figures are even higher.
The confrontation deepened after Venezuelan fighter jets buzzed the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham. Trump warned that if Venezuelan aircraft threaten U.S. forces, “they’ll be shot down.”
REGION REINFORCED
The Pentagon reinforced the region with warships and 10 F-35 stealth fighters as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government condemned the U.S. moves as violations of sovereignty. Maduro denied accusations linking him to Tren de Aragua but urged dialogue, saying, “None of the differences we’ve had can lead to a military conflict.”
At the United States Congress, Democratic lawmakers also questioned the legality of the strike that killed 11 people.
Senator Tim Kaine warned of presidential overreach, while Representative Ilhan Omar called Trump’s actions “lawless,” stressing Congress had not authorized war with Venezuela.
Advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the strike could amount to an extrajudicial execution prohibited under international law. Former HRW director Kenneth Roth added that branding suspects as “terrorists” did not justify summary killings and risked normalizing such practices globally.
Vance dismissed the criticism, calling the operation “the highest and best use of our military” and accusing Democrats of ignoring cartel threats that kill Americans.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.