1:54 U.S. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) are executing rigid-hull inflatable boat drills while at sea in the Caribbean Sea, September 19, 2025.Sgt. Nathan Mitchell/U.S. Marine Corps
At least a pair of survivors from a devastating U.S. military assault in the Caribbean Sea are presently held in custody onboard a U.S. naval ship following a helicopter rescue, according to an individual knowledgeable about the specifics of the event.
The source indicated the survivors were situated on a semi-submersible craft when they were struck in the offensive. Two additional individuals perished in the assault, according to a U.S. official.
President Donald Trump verified the strike to reporters on Friday, stating the military targeted a “drug-transporting submarine.”
The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment personnel collaborate to seize a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel utilized for contraband transportation in the Atlantic Ocean, March 22, 2024.U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
"We engaged a submarine," he remarked, depicting the craft as engineered to convey "substantial quantities" of narcotics.
"Just to make sure you comprehend. This wasn’t a group of harmless people,” he conveyed. “I’m unaware of many people owning submarines. It was an offensive against a drug-laden, fully stocked submarine.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio communicated that more details would be disseminated later Friday, affirming those on board were “terrorists.”
The strike represented the sixth military offensive in the Caribbean Sea targeting individuals suspected of involvement in drug smuggling.
A visual still from a video disseminated by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account, allegedly showcasing a deadly kinetic strike on a vessel located just off the Venezuelan Coast, Oct. 14, 2025.@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
This military campaign is embedded within an extensive endeavor spearheaded by Trump, who asserts his desire for Nicholas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, to resign, attributing to Maduro the orchestration of the stream of illegal drugs entering the U.S.
Earlier in the week, Trump voiced threats to invade Venezuela by land, acknowledged ongoing clandestine operations within the nation, and directed bombers equipped to release nuclear armaments to circle off its coastline, seemingly an unparalleled display of might intended to coerce Maduro into resigning.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has condemned Trump's pronouncements and the military expansion in the region, pronouncing the lethal strikes on watercraft in the Caribbean Sea as embodying a policy of aggression, intimidation, and torment directed at Venezuela.
Reuters was the initial outlet to report that the latest attack had survivors and that two individuals were airlifted to safety via helicopter.
Adm. Avlin Holsey, who has been overseeing military actions in the zone, unexpectedly declared his resignation from the role on Thursday. Holsey did not specify his reasons for departing sooner than anticipated, having served in the position for under a year.
According to an individual privy to his rationale, Holsey had voiced misgivings regarding existing military operations, and the strain between Holsey and Hegseth had been palpable for a number of weeks. It remained unclear whether Holsey disputed the legality of the naval strikes, which he would have had to sanction, or had articulated other reservations concerning the regional strategy.
Approximately 10,000 U.S. troops have been mobilized to Latin America this year under Trump as a component of a significant buildup of military resources in the region, encompassing eight Navy vessels, F-35 fighter aircraft, and MQ-9 Reaper drones.
In a communication on their X account, the U.S. Southern Command verified that it flew B-52 bombers offshore of Venezuela, characterizing it as a “demonstration mission, Oct. 15, 2025.@AFSOUTH/X
On Wednesday, a trio of B-52 bombers departed from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and flew for a number of hours in the vicinity of the Venezuelan coastline, based on flight monitoring data, in what seems to be a considerable display of force by Trump.
The B-52 constitutes a long-distance, sizable bomber utilized in conventional warfare scenarios in regions such as Iraq and Syria, with the capacity to deploy nuclear weaponry. The War Zone was the first to disclose the deployment of the B-52s.
On Thursday, a U.S. official verified that a special operations aviation unit had performed training exercises in global waters near Venezuela earlier in the month.
Since Sept. 2, Trump has authorized military engagements against at least six watercraft in the Caribbean Sea, which the administration maintains, devoid of supplying substantiation, were transporting narcotics to the U.S.
The application of lethal military force against drug vessels is without precedent and poses juridical inquiries. Previous administrations have depended on law enforcement to thwart drug shipments.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
