US boat strike kills another person in eastern Pacific as Trump escalates pressure on Venezuela

A US military strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean has killed another individual, marking the latest fatal attack in Washington’s expanding campaign of lethal force at sea.

In a statement on Monday, US Southern Command said the strike took place earlier in the day against what it described as a “low-profile vessel” in international waters, resulting in the death of one person, as part of a military campaign carried out under the pretext of drug interdiction.

“On Dec. 22, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X, adding that no American service members were harmed in the strike.

At least 105 people have been killed since early September in attacks on vessels accused by Washington of drug trafficking under a campaign known as Operation Southern Spear. The administration of US President Donald Trump claims the campaign is intended to curb the narcotics trade.

Just last week, US forces attacked two vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing five more people, whom were labeled “unlawful combatants” by Washington.

The White House claims it can conduct lethal strikes without judicial review based on a classified Justice Department finding.

These deadly operations come amid a broader escalation of US military and economic pressure on Venezuela, including a major naval buildup in the Caribbean and a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers trading with the South American country.

The US has already intercepted two Venezuelan-bound tankers and is pursuing another, aiming to cut off Caracas’s oil revenues.

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Venezuela has time and again warned that the blockade threatens global energy supplies and has condemned the US deployment and maritime strikes as a systematic and unlawful use of lethal force in violation of international law.

On Monday, Trump refused to clarify his ultimate objective in Venezuela, while once again hinting at possible ground attacks and suggesting that it would be “wise” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step aside.

“There’s no answer. He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada — the biggest we’ve ever had, and the biggest we’ve ever had in South America. He can do whatever he wants. It’s all right, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’d be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” Trump said.

Separately on Monday, Caracas stressed that the US-imposed naval blockade would disrupt global energy markets, according to a letter signed by Maduro and read aloud by Foreign Minister Yván Gil.

Maduro also condemned the US military deployment in the Caribbean as “a direct threat involving the use of force” and denounced the boat strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific as part of a “systematic practice of lethal force” outside international law.

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