STORY: Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello condemned on Wednesday (September 3) the U.S. military strike that killed 11 people on a vessel on Tuesday (September 2), calling it an “illegal massacre” and a violation of international law.

Speaking on his weekly TV program, Cabello argued that the U.S. action was not justice but “barbarism,” and accused Washington of double standards for preaching human rights while carrying out summary executions. He presented images of the destroyed boat and questioned the legality of the operation, which U.S. officials said targeted a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics.

The strike, the first since the U.S. deployed additional warships to the southern Caribbean, was justified by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of an ongoing campaign against narco-terrorism. President Donald Trump claimed “massive amounts of drugs” were found on board, but the Pentagon has not released details about the crew or the evidence used to justify the lethal action.

The incident has raised questions about the legal basis for the operation and the broader U.S. strategy in the region, as senior officials indicated similar strikes would continue against designated narco-terrorist groups. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the campaign is part of a sustained effort to disrupt drug trafficking routes, even as Venezuela denies any involvement in the incident.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Venezuela's interior minister condemns US strike on vessel as ‘illegal massacre’

VIDEO SHOWS: VENEZUELAN INTERIOR MINISTER DURING SPEAKING AT STATE TV PROGRAM / SOUNDBITES FROM INTERIOR MINISTER DIOSDADO CABELLO

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (SEPTEMBER 3, 2025) (VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. ATTENDEES APPLAUDING DURING VENEZUELAN STATE TV PROGRAM "CON EL MAZO DANDO" HOSTED BY VENEZUELAN INTERIOR AND JUSTICE MINISTER, DIOSDADO CABELLO

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN INTERIOR AND JUSTICE MINISTER, DIOSDADO CABELLO, SAYING:

"Let’s suppose, just for argument’s sake, that it was drugs and that 11 people were shot. Even if it was drugs, do they have the right to kill someone? Their own laws forbid it (Ed’s note: U.S. laws). What about the right to defence of those on board? The video, what they’re saying, is actually evidence against them. They murdered a group of people—I see five, but they say it’s 11. Let’s assume it’s 11. But by admitting this, they’re confessing to murder. It’s sheer stupidity. You can’t present your own stupidity as a defence."

3. VARIOUS OF CABELLO SHOWING IMAGES OF THE BOAT DESTROYED BY THE UNITED STATES, READING (Spanish): “Reasonable doubts”

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN INTERIOR AND JUSTICE MINISTER, DIOSDADO CABELLO, SAYING:

[SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOT 5 OF CABELLO’S NOTES BEFORE SWITCHING BACK TO CABELLO]

"What the United States presented as a strike against drug traffickers was nothing more than an illegal massacre in international waters. They violated international law, they violated their own laws, and worst of all, they violated a basic human principle—the right to life. This wasn’t justice; it was barbarism, an imperial act meant to show force. But it only exposes, once again, the double standards of the Washington administration. They talk about democracy and human rights while carrying out summary executions at sea. If you’re not guilty, you have nothing to fear. Here in Venezuela, we can speak openly about this because we are not accomplices to drug trafficking or executions in open waters. We do fight drug trafficking, no matter where it comes from."

5. CABELLO HOLDING NOTES

6. VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES APPLAUDING