Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will wage war on narco-terrorist organizations following Marine strikes on Venezuelan cartel vessel this week.

Washington's aims in the region are not entirely clear after fatally striking a drug-carrying vessel earlier this week, analysts say.

The Trump administration is warning would-be drug traffickers that they will meet the same fate as those killed in a boat the U.S blew up Tuesday in the southern Caribbean, a dramatic escalation in the drug war and the White House's bitter feud with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. has carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the ship was operated by a "designated narco-terrorist organization."

As U.S. warships and troops gather in the Caribbean, Mr. Maduro threatened an “armed fight” in response to any military action. He also appealed for peace.

The deadly strike on a boat U.S. officials say was carrying drugs from Venezuela may have marked a stunning shift in the countries’ relations, but escalating pressure on the South American nation has defined much of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's quarter-century in politics.

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Sept. 3, 2025, that it was ending Temporary Protected Status for over 250,000 Venezuelans who received the protections in 2021.