#us-military-strikes

#us-military-strikes

"I authorized for two reasons, really," Trump replied. "No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America," he said. "And the other thing, the drugs, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea." Trump added the administration "is looking at land" as it considers further strikes in the region.

Senate Republicans have voted down a bill that would have curtailed President Donald Trump's use of force against drug cartels after he authorised strikes on boats suspected of engaging in drug trafficking off the coast of Venezuela. The bill from Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia had called for the United States military to withdraw from hostilities that had not been authorized by Congress.

The Trump administration's justification for these strikes, such as it is, seems to be that any shipment of drugs connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a direct threat to the United States. These "narco-terrorists" may therefore be destroyed on sight, and without the fuss of asking permission from the U.S. Congress. This argument reflects the president's childlike but dangerous understanding of his role as commander in chief. The United States, once the leader of a global system of security and economic cooperation, is now acting like a rogue state on the high seas.

While Donald Trump claimed the strikes completely obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities, an early U.S. intelligence assessment contradicts this, suggesting limited success and that core components remain intact.