Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldPresident Donald Trump said the US carried out a strike against a boat operated by Venezuela drug cartels in the Caribbean Sea, the second in as many weeks. Trump said on Monday that he ordered the US military to strike “confirmed narco-terrorists from Venezuela . . . transporting illegal narcotics” through international waters, killing three people. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. His post included an aerial video appearing to show a fireball consuming a boat manned by at least two individuals.Speaking in the Oval Office later on Monday, Trump said his administration had “proof” that those aboard the boat were narco-terrorists. “Well, we have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was, like it spattered all over the ocean, big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place,” he said.The Financial Times could not independently verify that the boat belonged to a drug cartel or that it was transporting drugs.The US military earlier this month struck what it called a “drug vessel” in the Caribbean Sea, killing 11 people. US officials said the boat was controlled by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and warned that more strikes were likely as Washington expanded its naval presence in the Caribbean.“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!” Trump wrote on Monday on Truth Social.A Pentagon spokesperson declined to provide further details of the strike and referred reporters to the president’s social media post.The Trump administration in August dispatched eight ships to the Caribbean, including three guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, a guided-missile cruiser and a nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine.Secretary of state Marco Rubio suggested earlier this month that the administration would choose to “blow up” suspected drug trafficking vessels, rather than interdict them.Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro has accused the Trump administration of expanding its military presence just beyond the country’s territorial waters as a pretext for forcing regime change. “Everyone knows that it being about narco-trafficking is a lie,” Maduro said earlier on Monday. “The only truth is that they want to install a puppet regime to take control of Venezuelan oil.”The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the vessel strike.Prior to Trump’s announcement of the strike, Maduro said the US military’s activities in international waters amounted to an “aggression” and communication between Caracas and Washington had been largely suspended as a result.“The US government has wrecked communications with their bomb threats and blackmail,” Maduro said during a press conference. “Relations went from shaky to broken, and the story isn’t over.”Maduro added that limited talks would continue on repatriating Venezuelan migrants from the US. “Rescuing migrants who have been kidnapped and abused after being swept off the streets in the US by [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is a top priority,” he said.Maduro — the revolutionary socialist who has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since assuming office in 2013 — is regarded by the Trump administration as a leader of the Cartel of the Suns, an alleged drug trafficking organisation run by Venezuela’s political and military elite. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.The US raised the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50mn last month. Additional reporting by Lauren Fedor in Washington