Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the latest attack destroyed what he described as a “drug trafficking vessel” operated by a “Designated Terrorist Organization.”
He released a video of the strike on X, claiming it occurred in international waters.
No US personnel were injured, Hegseth said.
“To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs,” he wrote.
The assault marked at least the eighteenth vessel destroyed since early September, when the Trump administration began targeting boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
So far, 17 boats and one semi-submersible have been hit, bringing the total reported death toll to at least 70.
Washington has yet to release evidence proving that the destroyed vessels were smuggling narcotics or posed any immediate threat to the United States.
Critics, including international law experts, say the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings under the guise of counter-narcotics operations.
The families of those killed say many of the dead were civilians, mostly fishermen.
President Donald Trump’s administration has reinforced its military presence in the region, deploying six Navy ships in the Caribbean, F-35 stealth jets to Puerto Rico, and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group nearby.
Analysts say the build-up signals a growing militarization of US policy toward Latin America under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
On Thursday, the US Senate blocked a Democratic war powers resolution that would have required Trump to seek congressional approval for strikes in Venezuela, leaving the president free to expand operations.
Officials familiar with the matter say the White House has discussed broader military options against Venezuela and sought legal cover from the Justice Department to strike other targets.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces US drug charges, has accused Trump of using narcotics allegations as a pretext for regime change.
Maduro maintains that Venezuela has no drug cultivation and is instead an unwilling corridor for Colombian cocaine.
US bombers have conducted multiple shows of force near Venezuela, flying over the Caribbean Sea off its coast at least four times since mid-October.
The Trump administration has informed Congress it considers the United States to be in an “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, labeling them terrorist organizations to justify continued strikes.