At least two survivors of a deadly US military attack in the Caribbean Sea They are now detained aboard a U.S. ship after being rescued by helicopter, according to a person familiar with the details of the incident.
The person said the survivors were aboard a semi-submersible boat when they were hit in the attack.
The attack was the sixth military attack in the Caribbean Sea against suspected drug traffickers.
An image from a video posted by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account claims to show a lethal kinetic attack on a ship off the coast of Venezuela on October 14, 2025.
@realDonaldTrump/Social Truth
The military campaign is part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump, who says he wants Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign, blaming Maduro for orchestrating the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened to attack Venezuela by land, confirmed ongoing covert operations inside the country and ordered bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to circle off its coast in what appears to be an unprecedented show of force aimed at pressuring Maduro to resign.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has denounced Trump’s statements and the military strengthening in the region, saying that the lethal attacks on ships in the Caribbean Sea constitute a policy of aggression, threats and harassment against Venezuela.
Reuters first reported that there were survivors in the latest attack and that two of them had been rescued by helicopter. It was not immediately clear how many people were killed, as the Pentagon and White House declined to provide details about the incident.
Admiral Avlin Holsey, who has been overseeing military operations in the region, unexpectedly announced Thursday that he will step down from his position. Holsey did not say why he was leaving earlier than expected, after spending less than a year on the job.
According to a person familiar with his decision, Holsey had expressed reservations about ongoing military operations and that tension between Holsey and Hegseth had been evident for weeks. It was not immediately clear whether Holsey objected to the legality of the ship attacks, which he would have had to authorize, or whether he had raised other concerns about strategy in the region.
Some 10,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to Latin America this year under the Trump administration as part of a massive buildup of military assets in the region, including eight Navy ships, F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones.
On Wednesday, three B-52 bombers took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and flew for hours near the coast of Venezuela, according to flight tracking data, in what appears to be a major show of force by Trump.
A B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, takes off from Navy Support Center Diego Garcia in support of a Bomber Task Force mission, March 26, 2024.
The senior sergeant. Staci Kasischke/2nd Bomb Wing
The B-52 is a long-range heavy bomber that has been used in conventional wars in places like Iraq and Syria and is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The B-52 deployment was first reported by The War Zone.
On Thursday, a US official confirmed that a special operations aviation unit had conducted training exercises in international waters near Venezuela earlier this month.
Since September 2, Trump has ordered military strikes at least six ships in the Caribbean Sea that the administration insists, without providing evidence, were carrying drugs to the U.S. The use of lethal military force against drugs ships is unprecedented and raises legal questions. Previous administrations have relied on law enforcement to intercept drug shipments.
