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United States armed forces have killed four individuals in an operation on a ship near Venezuela that was reportedly carrying illegal substances, as stated by military leadership statements.

"This operation was carried out in open seas just off the coast of Venezuela while the boat was transporting large volumes of narcotics - headed to America to harm our citizens," officials announced in a government release.

This represents the latest in a series of recent deadly strikes that the US has carried out on vessels in global maritime zones it claims are participating in "drug smuggling".

The strikes have received criticism in states such as Venezuela and Colombia, with various jurisprudence specialists describing the attacks as a breach of international law.

Action Particulars

Military officials indicated the strike took place in the US Southern Command's jurisdictional territory, which includes the majority of South America and the Caribbean.

"Our intelligence, certainly, confirmed that this boat was smuggling illegal substances, the people on the vessel were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a recognized narco-trafficking transportation path," authorities stated about Friday's strike.

"Military actions will proceed until the attacks on the United States population are eliminated!!!!"

The President also confirmed the military action on social media, stating that the vessel was transporting adequate narcotics "to cause death to 25 to 50 thousand persons".

Questions and Controversy

Nonetheless, the US has not provided verification for its claims or any information about the personal details of those present on the ship.

There was no immediate response from Venezuela but its head of state has earlier criticized the attacks and said his state will defend itself against US "military intervention".

Friday's deadly strike is the fourth instance by the US in a month.

Earlier, authorities had stated that eleven individuals had been fatally struck in a military action against a illegal substances-bearing ship in the southern Caribbean at the start of September.

Later in the timeframe, two separate attacks within days of each other killed a total of six individuals.

Legal Framework

This Thursday, a confidential communication sent to Congress – reported by news organizations – said the US federal authorities had now decided it was in a "domestic warfare situation" with drug cartels.

This is important because the administration is required by legislation to notify Congress if it will deploy the defense establishment, which implies it aims to use more military action.

The US has framed its attacks on purported trafficking ships as national security measures, notwithstanding many legal experts questioning their lawfulness.

Presenting this as an current warfare situation is probably a method to rationalize using heightened military authorities – for example eliminating "combatants" even if they have not demonstrated a violent threat, or detaining people without limit.

These represent analogous powers to those used against previous groups in past conflicts.

Government officials have declined to offer the rationale for why they give the impression of categorizing illegal substances trade and associated offenses as an "military assault", or identified which groups they believe are endangering the US.

Officials have already designated many organizations, like those in Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela, as terrorist organisations – granting US authorities more powers in their handling of them.