AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
The Trump administration conducted a night strike against a drug-smuggling network with ties to a Venezuelan prison, marking the second time they’ve linked an operation to the group. Hegseth stated the strike occurred in international waters, warning “narco-terrorists” they would be treated like Al-Qaeda. This follows a large US military buildup in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela and accusations from Venezuela that the US aims for regime change. Trump declared drug cartels “unlawful combatants” and indicated the US will kill those bringing drugs into the country, likening the crackdown to the war on terror, though denying plans for a war declaration. The Senate rejected a resolution requiring congressional authorization for military strikes.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
In a social media post, Hegseth said the strike occurred overnight, and it marks the second time the Trump administration has tied one of its operations to the gang, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.
READ MORE: The U.S. military has built up a large force in the Caribbean Sea. Here’s what’s there
Hegseth said the strike happened in international waters and boasted that it was the first one conducted at night.
“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” Hegseth said in the post. “Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
The strike also came hours after the U.S. military flew a pair of supersonic heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela on Thursday. The flight was just the most recent move in what has been an unusually large military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off Venezuela that has raised speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has told his military leaders that the U.S. government knows the drug-trafficking accusations used to support the recent actions in the Caribbean are false, with its true intent being to “force a regime change” in the South American country.
Hegseth’s remarks around the strikes have recently begun to draw a direct comparison between the war on terrorism that the U.S. declared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug traffickers.
When reporters asked Trump on Thursday whether he would request Congress issue a declaration of war against the cartels, he said that wasn’t the plan.
“I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We’re going to kill them, you know? They’re going to be like, dead,” Trump said during a roundtable at the White House with homeland security officials.
Trump this month declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was in an “armed conflict” with them.
Despite the concerns from some lawmakers, the Republican-controlled Senate has voted down a Democratic-sponsored war powers resolution that would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes.
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