WASHINGTON - Two men were killed on Tuesday in the US military's latest strike targeting boats allegedly transporting narcotics in international waters in the eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.

"Today, at the direction of President (Donald) Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization," Hegseth wrote in a post, claiming the vessel was carrying narcotics.

"No US forces were harmed in the strike, and two male narco-terrorists -- who were aboard the vessel -- were killed." he said.

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Hegseth offered neither evidence nor the cartel's name.

Since Sept 2, the US military has sunk 17 vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, claiming at least 66 deaths.

The Trump administration has also expanded its military presence across the Caribbean since August. Currently, the US military buildup in the Caribbean is the largest in the region in more than three decades.

READ MORE: US military strikes another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 3

Trump on Friday said he has not yet decided whether the United States will launch ground strikes inside Venezuela, contradicting media reports that his administration will attack Venezuelan military facilities.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions as attempts to overthrow his government and expand the US military influence in Latin America. Colombian President Gustavo Petro last month accused the US government of "murder" for killing drug suspects at sea.