U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.
"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 during remarks at Naval Station Norfolk, flanked by two U.S. aircraft carriers.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Trump was referencing new strikes, but he later confirmed to reporters that the strikes were carried out Saturday.
When asked to provide additional details about those strikes, Trump told reporters, “My people will give you those.”
Information such as casualty counts, the specific reason for the airstrikes, and other details related to the most recent attack have not yet been released.
In a video message published on the app Telegram, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro decried the strike, describing it as U.S. aggression against Venezuela.
"Our people have never and will never be afraid to defend their right to live and be free," Maduro said, though he didn’t specifically reference Trump's most recent comments. "We will be ready to face any scenario."
Trump also announced that the United States would increase scrutiny on drug trafficking occurring by land.
"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."
On Friday, a U.S. strike in the Caribbean killed four, at least the fourth such airstrike carried out in the region in recent weeks.
Though the strikes have caused some controversy, Hegseth during an interview with Fox News defended the legality of the decisions made by his department and the administration.
"We have every authorization needed. These are designated as foreign terrorist organizations," Hegseth told Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing.
Trump announced the strikes during a celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 250th birthday, during which he applauded the military branch’s long history of achievements and heroes.