"It is an aggression all down the line," said Maduro.
A second boat
Donald Trump has confirmed a strike against a second ship accused (by him) of transporting drugs from Venezuela to the United States.
Three dead
The administration maintains that this second attack, carried out in international waters, resulted in three deaths.
A necessary strike?
Without providing specific details, Trump referred to the ship's passengers as "violent drug trafficking cartels" and claimed that the strike was necessary to protect US national security.
The surprise
The first bombardment ordered by the Trump administration took place on September 2, when the US army caused an international sensation by destroying a ship from Venezuela, which Trump then accused of belonging to the "Tren de Aragua" gang.
A defensive action?
The Trump administration justified the strike by assuring that it knew "exactly" the identity of the people on board, their activities and the origin of the vessel, without however presenting any public evidence. It presented it as a defensive action against drug trafficking threatening public health and the security of the United States.
"We knew"
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put it bluntly: "We knew exactly who was in that boat. We knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented."
Tensions rise with Venezuelan president
Donald Trump posted a long message on Truth Social accompanied by declassified video of the strike, writing: "BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER."
Justification
According to Reuters, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro strongly denounced this first U.S. strike, calling it "aggression", and rejecting the justifications put forward, in particular the allegation that the vessel was really transporting drugs or was being used by narco-terrorists.
"It's an aggression"
"It is an aggression all down the line, it's a judicial aggression … a political aggression … a diplomatic aggression and an ongoing aggression of military character," Maduro said, claiming it was a genuine attack directed against his country.
Legality and controversy
The bombings ordered by Donald Trump are stirring up fierce legal and political controversy.
In case of imminent threat
In the United States, legal experts denounced the lack of clear authorization from Congress, considering that the executive was overstepping its powers. On the international scene, experts point out that the law authorizes the use of force only in the event of an imminent threat, or with the approval of the UN - conditions deemed not to have been met. Many also point to the extra-judicial nature of these strikes, carried out without public proof.