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Per the announcement from American defense chief Pete Hegseth, American forces eliminated four individuals during a mission against a boat suspected of transporting illegal drugs offshore close to the Venezuelan coast.

The strike took place shortly after US officials notified lawmakers that the country had entered a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels.

This marks no fewer than the fourth unprecedented and disputed operation conducted by American military beyond American waters over the past month.

Details of the Military Operation

Hegseth indicated that the vessel was struck while transporting substantial amounts of narcotics bound for America, which he described to public health.

“Intelligence assessments definitively verified the vessel’s involvement in drug trafficking, identifying those aboard as narco-terrorists using established smuggling routes,” Hegseth said in a social media post.

The defense secretary also claimed that the vessel had links to Designated Terrorist Organizations, a label introduced through a private document sent to lawmakers.

Juridical and Political Context

The Trump administration have informed the legislative branch regarding its view that drug trafficking organizations are non-state armed actors and their actions in narcotics trafficking represent an armed assault against the United States.

This notification was accompanied by a classified briefing with lawmakers of the Senate armed services committee, held recently.

White House representatives attempted to justify the strikes by citing the president’s constitutional authority, which allow the use of military force for self-protection during confined conflicts.

Previous Operations and International Reaction

Prior to this strike, American military had conducted attacks on three boats in Caribbean waters, resulting in 17 fatalities and causing global condemnation.

Hegseth emphasized that such operations “are ongoing” as long as “the attacks on the American people are over”.

Governmental Restructuring and Oversight

Officials has allegedly empowered a White House security body to operate as an independent entity within the administration, a shift unlike prior governments which had it reporting to the national security adviser.

The reorganization has influenced the planning and implementation of these military actions, as certain authorities learning of strikes only hours before they occur.

Regardless of the administration’s assertions, legal experts point out that labeling trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations does not provide additional authority to employ deadly action without solid proof linking them to a foreign government.

So far, US officials has not provided such evidence regarding the supposed infiltration by cartels into Venezuela's regime.