Trump says U.S. hit another boat off Venezuela coast on Saturday

U.S. forces hit another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday, adding that the U.S. would also start looking at drug trafficking occurring on land.

Trump made the remarks during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk, beside the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. It was not immediately clear whether he was referring to a strike announced Friday by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

That strike, at least the fourth such attack in recent weeks, killed four people.

"In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water ... we did another one last night. Now we just can't find any," Trump said.

"They're not coming in by sea anymore, so now we'll have to start looking about the land because they'll be forced to go by land."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro published a video message on Telegram shortly after Trump's announcement, in which he blasted U.S. aggression against Venezuela and said the country had diplomatic support.

"Our people have never and will never be afraid to defend their right to live and be free," Maduro said, without referencing Trump's latest comments. "We will be ready to face any scenario."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said earlier on Sunday his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov gave a "full expression of support and solidarity" to Caracas in a phone call between the two.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military has initiated strikes in international waters in the southern Caribbean, targeting boats that the White House alleged were transporting illicit drugs from Venezuela.

According to U.S. accounts, as many as 17 people aboard three vessels were killed in U.S. strikes in September.

The Trump administration has also deployed warships to the Caribbean. The New York Times reported last Tuesday that the Pentagon has built up a force of more than 6,500 troops in the region.

While some cocaine leaves South America through Venezuela, the country is not a main source of U.S.-bound drugs, the report said, citing a 2020 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assessment.

10 LatAm countries condemn U.S. incursion

A Latin American regional bloc of 10 member states on Friday condemned "the recent illegal incursion of U.S. combat aircraft" detected near the Venezuelan coast.

"This act constitutes a serious provocation that undermines national sovereignty and represents a direct violation of international law, putting at risk the peace and stability of the entire region," the bloc, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty, said in a statement.

These maneuvers of military harassment violate the fundamental principles of peaceful coexistence between states and seek to generate tension, fear and destabilization in Latin America and the Caribbean, it said.

The Alliance warned that "these types of actions not only affect a member State, but also compromise civil and commercial air safety in the Caribbean, creating unacceptable risks for the peoples of the region."

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)