Image Credit: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / Stringer / Getty Images 
The US military targeted a submersible vessel alleged to have been smuggling drugs in the Caribbean, as part of ongoing efforts against drug cartels in the region.
President Trump announced the strike during a press conference on Friday, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting the White House.
The President described the strike after being questioned about reports of two individuals surviving a strike on an alleged drug vessel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was first to answer questions about the two survivors, before President Trump interrupted and described the vessel they were travelling in as a “submarine.”
“It’s well known there’s an ongoing narco-terrorist operation the United States has been conducting. As far as details of any recent strikes, we’re not prepared here to announce all those details, but you’ll get that information here very shortly,” Rubio began.
“That was a submarine, right?” Trump interjected.
“It was. We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs. Just so you understand, this was not an innocent group of people. I don’t know too many people that have submarines, and that was an attack on a drug-carrying loaded-up submarine.”
The strike on the submarine is at least the sixth such attack to take place on vessels in the Caribbean since the beginning of last month.
On 2 September, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced US forces had killed 11 suspected drug-traffickers.
In a social-media post, Trump described the men as members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that was deemed to be a terrorist organization by the State Department earlier this year.
Trump said the group was operating “under the control of Nicholas Maduro,” Venezuela’s President.
The Trump administration has increased pressure on Maduro in recent weeks, claiming that he is directly controlling criminal groups like Tren de Aragua.
This week is was reported that Trump authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela, possibly in an effort to undermine Maduro’s regime. Meanwhile, the US is flying B-52 bombers off the coast the country in a show of force.
Trump was asked about Maduro on Friday by a reporter.
“It has been reported that Maduro offered everything in his country, all the natural resources. He even recorded a message to you in English this Sunday offering mediation. What should he do?” a reporter asked Trump.
“He has offered everything,” Trump responded.
“He has offered everything. You’re right. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f*ck around with the United States.”
