Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Monday announced a new military strike on a boat carrying people he accused of being drug traffickers in Caribbean waters, saying three "narcoterrorists" from Venezuela were killed.

"This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists," Trump said in a Truth Social post that featured a declassified video of the operation.

"The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics... headed to the US," he insisted, offering no evidence for his claims.

"The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action."

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That same lack of proof or even detailed information characterized the September 2 announcement of a strike that killed 11 people sailing a boat in Caribbean waters.

The Trump administration repeatedly accused the victims of being members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that does not have an established international drug trafficking operation.

Venezuelan officials have since denied that the 11 people were part of any gang, and have accused the US of committing murder. Experts have also questioned the legality of the attack, since the boat did not pose any immediate national security threat.

Monday's incident is only the latest in an escalating series of provocations aimed at Venezuela and its president, Nicolás Maduro. Trump has also ordered the deployment of US Navy vessels and fighter jets in the country's vicinity, all while placing a bounty on Maduro's head.

In response, Venezuela has mobilized tens of thousands of troops and begun recruiting a civilian militia to counter a potential direct aggression.