President Trump says the U.S. military has struck another boat off the coast of Venezuela that was allegedly carrying narcotics, killing its three crew members. The president warned any other traffickers that they will be hunted by the military if they are suspected of transporting drugs in the region. 

The attack marks the second strike this month on a boat departing Venezuela, though the first strike was on a vessel reportedly headed for Trinidad and Tobago, not the United States. 

“This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social late Monday. He said the strike occurred while the boat was in international waters.

He claims the vessel was “headed to the U.S.” — a distance of more than 1,300 miles — with three men on board. Mr. Trump included a video of the strike in his social media post. 

“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” Mr. Trump wrote. 

He issued a stark warning to anyone suspected of bringing drugs through the Caribbean. “IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER,” he declared. 

In explaining his justification for the strike on the first boat from Venezuela, Mr. Trump said that he is empowered by the Constitution to “protect United States interests abroad … pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct United States foreign relations.”

Venezuela’s leader, President Nicolás Maduro, attacked Secretary Marco Rubio in remarks to the press on Monday, according to a report from France 24. Mr. Maduro called Mr. Rubio the “lord of death and war.” He told reporters at Caracas that his country would “fully” exercise its “legitimate right to defend itself” against what he described as American “aggression” in the region.

During an interview with Fox News on Monday filmed in Israel, Mr. Rubio said he was positive that there were narcotics on the boat that was destroyed earlier this month with 11 individuals on board. 

“We have 100 percent fidelity and certainty that that boat was involved in that trafficking of those drugs that ultimately were destined to reach the United States of America,” Mr. Rubio said.

“What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up,” he added.