President Donald Trump shared a 33-second video of a "lethal kinetic strike on a vessel," which he claimed was linked to a Designated Terrorist Organisation (DTO) engaged in narcotrafficking off Venezuela's coast.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route. The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed. Thank you for your attention to this matter! ! ! ! ! !", the president posted on his TruthSocial platform.

The United Nations has previously condemned American strikes on small boats suspected of drug trafficking as extrajudicial killings.

The US defends these operations as targeting "narco-terrorist" members of Tren de Aragua, which has been classified as a foreign terrorist organisation.

This represents the fifth strike American military forces have launched against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea over recent months, reports the Express US.