President Donald Trump has formally declared that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, according to a notice his administration sent to Congress following recent military strikes on boats off Venezuela.

A copy of the letter, obtained by AFP on Thursday, frames the move as a legal justification for at least three strikes in international waters that left 14 people dead.

The Trump administration has deployed a significant naval presence in the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smuggling operations, escalating tensions with Venezuela’s leftist president, Nicolás Maduro.

“The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the Pentagon’s notice stated. It also classified suspected smugglers as “unlawful combatants.”

While U.S. officials insist the strikes targeted vessels allegedly carrying drugs, legal experts have questioned whether Washington’s actions conform to international law.

“As we have said many times, the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told AFP. “He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans.”

Mounting Tensions with Venezuela

A White House official noted that the notice was sent to Congress after one of the strikes on September 15, saying it was a legally mandated report rather than a revelation of new operations.

Nevertheless, the moves have fueled a diplomatic storm.

On Thursday, Venezuela reported detecting “an illegal incursion” by five U.S. fighter jets flying just 75 kilometers off its coast. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned the flights as a “provocation” and a “threat to our national security,” while a government statement accused Washington of flouting international law and endangering civil aviation in the region.

Trump had already raised eyebrows last month by dispatching 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico the largest U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean in more than three decades. The deployment also included eight warships and a nuclear submarine, all under the banner of countering drug trafficking routes to the United States.

The standoff deepened after two Venezuelan military planes buzzed an American naval vessel. Trump responded with a stern warning, vowing that any repeat incident would see Venezuelan aircraft “shot down.”

Maduro has accused the Trump administration of using anti-cartel operations as a cover for a covert bid to bring about regime change in Caracas.