Trump kills 4 more in Venezuela boat strike rampage

The United States military killed four people on Friday in another strike targeting a suspected drug-smuggling vessel off Venezuela's coast, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed the operations would persist until attacks on Americans cease. The action marks the fourth lethal strike against alleged narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean within five weeks, and the combined death toll has reached at least 21 individuals. The Trump administration treats international drug smuggling as armed conflict rather than a law enforcement matter, and this approach has sparked fierce criticism from regional leaders but celebration from top U.S. officials. The Pentagon announced the strike occurred in international waters as the speedboat transported substantial narcotics toward America, but Washington has released no evidence confirming the targets were smugglers. Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the operation as murder, and he argued that poor Caribbean youths were aboard the vessel. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the mobilization of reservists in response to what he called armed aggression aimed at regime change.