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Survivors were reported in the latest U.S. military airstrike targeting an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean on Thursday (October 16), a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
Thursday's airstrike is at least the sixth by President Donald Trump's administration targeting what it has labeled as drug-smuggling crafts operated by narcoterrorists, with all of the past incidents resulting in no survivors. The administration hasn't provided any specific evidence to support its claims, however, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that it was acting within its authority in the attacks targeting Venezuelan ships.
Leavitt claimed that the president has been "very transparent about these strikes," having released a declassified video while announcing an attack earlier this week.
"There should be no surprise for this. The president campaigned on using every lever of power to go after the drug cartels who have been trafficking illicit poison into our country for far too long," Leavitt said via ABC News, claiming "less boats with lots of drugs" were "coming into the shores" of the U.S. after the strikes.
"I think the American people can expect them to continue," she added.
Samuel Moncada, Venezuela's top ambassador to the United Nations, has repeatedly denounced the U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and publicly urged the Trump administration to "stop the madness" while addressing reporters at the U.S. on Thursday, accusing the government of carrying out extrajudicial executions. Six people were killed after the U.S. military struck another boat alleged to be trafficking drugs off Venezuela's coast, announced on his Truth Social account Tuesday (October 14).
The U.S. had announced several previous strikes on boats alleged to be trafficking drugs, with the Pentagon previously announcing another strike of the coast of Venezuela earlier this month.