Earlier this month, President Donald Trump ordered a military strike in the southern Caribbean Sea on a naval vessel allegedly carrying Venezuelan gang members and traffickers with a load of illicit drugs bound for the United States.

On Monday, Trump revealed that he'd ordered a similar second strike to take out a boat carrying alleged drugs and "narcoterrorists" in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, according to Newsmax.

Those strikes, in conjunction with the recent and ongoing buildup of U.S. military assets in the Caribbean, have raised the question of whether the U.S. will soon be, if not already is, engaged in a war against the Nicholas Maduro-led socialist dictatorship in Venezuela.

Second strike announced

In a Truth Social post on Monday, President Trump wrote, "This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility."

"The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.," he continued. "These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests."

"The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike," Trump said. "BE WARNED -- IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!"

In addition to a video clip of the strike and resultant fiery explosion, the president concluded, "The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!"

Buildup of U.S. military assets in the Caribbean

A video clip of the successful strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking boat was also shared on X by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who wrote, "Narco-terrorists are enemies of the United States -- actively bringing death to our shores."

"We will stop at nothing to defend our homeland and our citizens," he added. "We will track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere -- at the times and places of our choosing."

Newsweek reported that the U.S. military has deployed numerous assets to the Caribbean in recent weeks and months, predominantly based in and around the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, ostensibly as part of a broader anti-drug operation in the region, but which could be put into action against Venezuelan forces at any given moment.

The growing force of deployed assets includes advanced fighters, reconnaissance, and transport aircraft, as well as helicopters and armed drones.

Also deployed are several naval assets, including guided missile destroyers and cruisers, coastal combat ships, an attack submarine, and multiple amphibious landing craft carrying thousands of U.S. Marines.

Is America at war with Venezuela?

In light of the buildup of U.S. military forces and now two strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-running vessels, Time magazine pondered whether the U.S. was already engaged, or soon would be, in a "major war" against the socialist South American nation, which is notably allied with U.S. enemies and rivals like Iran and Russia.

Critics assert that the U.S. actions violate international laws and norms, and lack appropriate and specific authorization from Congress, while supporters of the moves insist that "narco-terrorists" are fair game under prior congressional authorizations for the use of force, and that such attacks are justified to reduce the scourge of dangerous illicit drugs in America.