Trump's post announcing the strike left out many details but called it a warning against drug cartels as tension escalate with the Venezuelan government.

A screenshot of a video posted by President Donald Trump that shows the strike on a boat that killed three alleged members of a drug cartel. Screenshot from Donald Trump/Truth Social. UPI

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Monday the military killed three members of a what he called a Venezuelan drug cartel transporting illegal narcotics across international waters to the United States.

Trump made the announcement in a social media post that he described as a warning and included a video of the military strike on the boat allegedly carrying drugs. The strike comes roughly two weeks after Trump announced a similar attack that marked an escalation in the president's unconventional and bellicose campaign against drug traffickers.

"If you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you!" Trump wrote in the post, much of which was in all caps. "The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought devastating consequences on American communities for decades, killing millions of American citizens."

The post did not include details about the location of strike, only noting it was in the military's Southcom area of responsibility, which encompasses South America. The post also did not name the cartel of which the men killed in the strike allegedly were affiliated, but the president called them "confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela.

The video accompanying the video lasts less than 30 seconds and shows a boat floating above the waves before a bright flash and explosion. The video then shows smoke and flames billowing from the boat.

Earlier this year, Trump took the unusual step of designating the Tren de Aragua and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations."

Previously, combating the drug trade had been considered a matter for law enforcement and critics have raised concerns about Trump's legal authority for the strikes. However, other Latin American nations recently have followed Washington's lead in designating "Cartel of the Suns" as a terrorist group.

Monday's strike comes amid rising tensions with the Venezuelan government, which the Trump administration has accused of being allied with the Tren de Aragua gang. The Trump administration has placed a bounty of $50 million for the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and built up its naval presence around the country.

Venezuelan military aircrafts have flown near a U.S. Navy ship earlier this month. United States military officials have warned that they will shoot down Venezuelan fighter jets if they return in close proximity any of the ships in the U.S. Navy flotilla.