U.S. forces carried out two more strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats off South America, killing six people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

The strikes, ordered by President Trump, targeted vessels in international waters linked to “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” with three people aboard each boat.

Hegseth claimed the vessels carried narcotics along known trafficking routes, though Washington has not publicly provided evidence that the targets posed a threat to the U.S.

The strikes have drawn international criticism, with the UN calling them violations of human rights law and Venezuela condemning them as illegal acts of aggression, The Guardian has reported.

Earlier, the U.S. bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to deploy tens of thousands of troops and tighten security.