Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. military carried out a “lethal” strike against a drug vessel in the southern Caribbean. Rubio stated, “As @potus just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.” Details about the operation, including the vessel’s operators, remain unclear.

The strike followed the U.S. confirmation last month of increased naval presence near Venezuela, with three warships deployed to the region as part of an anti-drug cartel mission. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the move, calling the ships an “extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.” The Trump administration has previously accused Maduro’s government of collaborating with drug cartels to traffic narcotics to the U.S.

President Trump claimed the U.S. military “shot out” a drug-carrying boat from Venezuela. While the U.S. has not indicated plans for land incursions, Maduro’s government has deployed troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with Colombia, urging citizens to join a civilian militia. Maduro insists the U.S. is fabricating a drug-trafficking narrative to destabilize his administration, citing a United Nations report that claims only 5% of Colombian cocaine transits through Venezuela. The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s announcement.