Pete Hegseth Issues Stark Warning: 'If You're North Of Venezuela And Intend to Traffick Drugs Into The U.S., You're a Legitimate Target'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that those who are north of Venezuela and intend to traffic drugs into the U.S. will be considered a legitimate target by the U.S. military.

Speaking to Fox News, Hegseth claimed that, before carrying out the strikes, the U.S. confirms "where they come from, who they work for, what they transport, how many people are on that ship."

"That's why the are clean and legitimate attacks in defense of the homeland. And we hope they deter these foreign terrorist organizations from doing so, because the American people deserve to be defended," Hegseth added.

The U.S. conducted a new strike on Friday as it ramps up pressure on the Venezuelan regime, with the Defense Secretary saying in a post that, "on President Trump's orders," he directed a "lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility."

He went on to detail that four people were killed in the strike, which was conducted "just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to poison our people."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Hegseth's statements to Fox News, noting this weekend that the U.S. military is acting on "reliable intelligence" in targeting boats allegedly smuggling narcotics through the Caribbean. However, he declined to disclose how that information is gathered.

"The Department of War knows who's on those boats and what they're doing," Rubio told Fox News Sunday, responding to criticism that the Trump administration's recent attacks on vessels near Venezuelan waters have resulted in deaths rather than arrests. "There are many boats running through that region ... and they don't take shots at them because they need to know with 100 percent certainty."

. "What is a boat doing 15 miles into international waters with four 450 engines, no fishing rods, and clear markings of drugs on those boats?" he said. "We know who these boats are. We've known who these boats are for a very long time."

The secretary defended the military's actions, saying they mark the first time the U.S. has conducted direct operations in the region against traffickers. "These are traffickers of poison that are ultimately winding up in our streets, contributing to crime and death in the United States," Rubio said.