Donald Trump 'attempting coup' after lethal boat strike, says Venezuelan President
The US President previously declared that America is in an "armed conflict" with drug trafficking cartels
Donald Trump has been accused of attempting a coup in Venezuela after he approved a deadly attack in the country as part of his bid to tackle alleged drug trafficking.
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The US president announced on Tuesday that "lethal" CIA operations had been carried out on a boat in the South American nation, killing six suspected drug traffickers.
He claimed the strike was part of his operation to combat large amounts of drugs entering the US from Venezuela via an established sea smuggling route.
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"We are looking at land now, because we've got the sea very well under control," he said.
But Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hit back at the US leader for the brutal "kinetic strike" and accused him of attempting to ignite a war.
The US has accused Mr Maduro of having connections to drug trafficking and organised crime, offering a $50m (£37m) reward for information leading to his arrest.
Mr Trump declined to answer whether the CIA had the authority to execute Mr Maduro, but said: "I think Venezuela is feeling heat."
Mr Maduro, who denies the accusations, says calls for regime change harkened back to "failed eternal wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a message to the American people, he said in English: "Not war, yes peace. The people of the US, please."
Mr Trump also claimed Venezuela had sent a significant number of prisoners into the US.
He did not specify which border they had entered through but alleged several were from mental health facilities.
It had long been standard US practice for the coastguard to intercept suspected drug trafficking boats, but Mr Trump believed this approach was "ineffective".
A video posted to his Truth Social showed the vessel in flames following the apparent attack.
It marks the fifth strike since the beginning of September after the Pentagon said the president declared the US was in an "armed conflict" with cartels.
This is the same legal rationale the US previously used to target terrorist organisations including al-Qaeda and ISIS.Mr Trump said after the first strike the boat belonged to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua - which the US designated a terror group in February.
The US President said that the group is "responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere."
But the Venezuelan government claims the group was dismantled in 2023.
Meanwhile, the US forces have been seen amassing in the southern Caribbean, with at least eight warships, a submarine, and F-35 jets gathering in Puerto Rico.
Last month, the US military carried out strikes on three boats in the Caribbean Sea, killing 17 people.
The attacks were met with outrage by the international community, particularly in Central and South America.
Democrat lawmakers have complained that the strikes are unlawful under the War Powers Act which requires consent for military action.
But the Trump administration appears to be pursuing a new legal framework that questions the role of Congress in authorising action.
Some members of Congress are reportedly growing concerned over the Trump administration’s lack of transparency.
Both Republicans and Democrats have reportedly questioned the legality of the strikes and have requested unedited videos of the military attacks but the administration has so far refused to provide them, according to NBC.