Three sources with knowledge of the situation said that the U.S. military was holding two survivors on a Navy vessel after they rescued them from a suspected drugs vessel in the Caribbean, which had been hit by an American strike that also killed two other people.

The revelation, which was not previously reported, could mean that the survivors of Thursday's attack are the first prisoners in a war declared by Donald Trump to combat a "narco-terrorist" threat, he claims, emanating from Venezuela.

The Pentagon did respond immediately to a comment request. Trump told reporters the strike was on "a drug-carrying sub built specifically to transport massive amounts of narcotics." He didn't comment on the number of people killed or who survived.

One source said that the vessel which was struck on Thursday had moved under the water. It could have been a semisubmersible. This is a vessel similar to a submarine used by drug traffickers in order to avoid detection.

Five sources with knowledge of the situation said that the U.S. Military staged a rescue helicopter to pick up survivors and bring them to the U.S. Warship.

Before Thursday's operation U.S. military attacks against suspected drug ships off Venezuela had left no survivors known and videos shown by the Trump administration show vessels being destroyed.

Legal experts and Democratic legislators who are concerned about whether the strikes were in accordance with the laws of war have raised alarms.

The attacks come as Trump escalates his standoff with Venezuela's government. This includes a U.S. buildup of military forces in the Caribbean, including F-35 fighter planes, nuclear submarines and guided missile destroyers.

Trump revealed on Wednesday that he authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert missions inside Venezuela. This added to the speculation in Caracas about the United States' attempt to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela's U.N. ambassador sent a letter to the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council this week. In a letter to the 15-member Security Council of the United Nations, seen by, Venezuela's U.N.

In a notification to Congress, Trump determined that the United States was engaged in a "non-international armed war" as revealed by the Pentagon.

The document was intended to explain Trump's legal reasoning for unleashing U.S. forces in the Caribbean.

The Pentagon announced less than a week before that its anti-narcotics activities in the region will not be led the Miami-based Southern Command which oversees U.S. Military Activities in Latin America.

The Pentagon instead said that a taskforce was being formed that would be headed by the II Marine Expeditionary Force. This unit is capable of rapid operations overseas and is based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

This decision surprised U.S. military watchers because a combatant commander like Southern Command normally leads any high-profile operation.

In a surprise announcement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that the admiral in charge of the U.S. Southern Command would step down by the end of the year. This is two years earlier than the original schedule. Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Al. Jeff Mason, Jarrett Renshaw and Alistair Bell.

(source: Reuters)