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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a deadly warning to drug traffickers Wednesday as he shared details about a U.S. military strike that destroyed a Venezuelan drug boat in the Caribbean, killing 11 suspected Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists.
“It’s a new day. It’s a different day, and… this is an activity the United States is not going to tolerate in our hemisphere,” Hegseth said on “Fox & Friends.”
Venezuela’s Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez dismissed video of the attack as AI-generated, an accusation Hegseth dismissed.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
“I can tell you that was definitely not artificial intelligence. I watched it live,” he said.
“We knew exactly who was in that boat. We know exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented.”
Hegseth described the strike as a direct hit against a “narco-terrorist organization” that aims to “poison” the U.S. with illicit drugs.
Video footage from President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account showed the alleged drug vessel shortly before it was destroyed. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
President Trump shared footage of the fiery explosion, declaring that the strike should serve as notice to anyone attempting to traffic narcotics into the United States. He also emphasized that no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation.
The president later confirmed the blast occurred in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility, while the terrorists were in international waters transporting illegal narcotics to the U.S.
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Hegseth was unable to disclose “exactly” how the operation occurred, but reiterated that the measure was done with “precision.”
“It won’t stop with just this strike. Anyone else trafficking in those waters, who we know is a designated narco-terrorist, will face the same fate, and it’s important for the American people to protect our homeland and protect our hemisphere,” he said.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
