Petro says last vessel bombed by US in Caribbean was Colombian

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has said the latest vessel in the Caribbean bombed by the United States was Colombian and had Colombian citizens aboard.

"A new war scenario has opened up: the Caribbean," Petro said in a post on X. "The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean."

The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Petro, who is currently in Belgium meeting with European leaders, was replying to a post by US Senator Adam Schiff who said he would vote to block strikes against vessels in the Caribbean along with Tim Kaine.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced the strike, at least the fourth in recent weeks.

The strike killed all four people who were on board, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced in a social media post.

At least 21 people have been killed in strikes according to the Trump administration. The attacks have inflamed tensions in the region and Washington called off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela on Monday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that he is preparing to declare a state of emergency to protect his country in the event of an attack by the US military.

The Trump administration has designated drug cartels, such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, and El Salvador's MS-13, as "terrorist" organisations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the president possesses the authority to order strikes without congressional approval.

"These are targeted strikes against imminent threats against the United States," he said. 

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Source: TRT