The U.S. strike that blew up an alleged Venezuelan drug-running boat in the Caribbean, killing 11 people, marked a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump’s hard-line strategy toward Latin America led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

It may be just the start.

Tuesday’s attack was the culmination of Trump’s yearslong interest in using unprecedented — and legally questionable — force against drug cartels. In 2020 he mused about launching missiles to blow up fentanyl labs in Mexico, according to then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.