The United States has carried out another strike against an alleged drug vessel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday.

Deployment of a carrier group marks a major escalation of U.S. forces in a region that has already seen an unusually large military buildup.

The overnight strike was led at the direction of President Donald Trump and targeted a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua in the Caribbean Sea, Hegseth shared.

Hegseth sends aircraft carrier in major escalation amid new ‘drug boat’ strike: ‘We will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda’ - Pentagon boss claims boat was operated by Tren de Aragua

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang and the strike occurred in the Caribbean.

It's the 10th strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs, with Hegseth blaming the Tren de Aragua gang for operating the vessel in the Caribbean.

The U.S. campaign targeting what it says is drug trafficking from Venezuela has exposed Trinidad to the fallout: unidentified bodies with burn marks and missing limbs showing up in its territory.

Two people on an alleged drug smuggling boat were recovered and detained by the Navy Thursday after the vessel was destroyed.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said the United States government is forging a war against him as the world's biggest warship approaches the South American country. In a national broadcast on Friday night,