President Donald Trump has stated that US forces destroyed a “big facility” along the shore of Venezuela, marking what appears to be the first known land strike by the US within the country.
On Friday, Trump first mentioned the US military action in an interview on WABC radio, saying, “We just knocked out… a big plant or big facility where the ships come from. So we hit them very hard.”
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Trump described the target as an “implementation” area allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” he said.
Details surrounding the operation remain scarce. The location of the facility, method of attack, inflicted damage, and possible casualties are all currently unknown. The Pentagon and US Southern Command have deferred questions to the White House, which has not yet issued a comment.
Trump has previously hinted that the US could launch land strikes inside Venezuela and has authorized covert CIA operations within the country as part of a broader effort to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. The US president refused to clarify whether the CIA was involved in the latest strike.
“I don’t want to say that,” Trump said. “I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. But you know, it was along the shore.”
The Venezuelan government has yet to publicly acknowledge the purported attack. Caracas has repeatedly denied that it is involved in drug trafficking, saying the allegations are being fabricated to justify a regime-change operation.
The move follows months of escalating tensions between the US and Venezuela, with the US military hitting at least 30 alleged drug trafficking boats since early September, resulting in at least 107 deaths. The US has built up its military presence in the Caribbean, with 15,000 troops and several warships positioned in the region.
The US has also seized several tankers transporting Venezuelan oil in international waters, claiming the vessels were operating in violation of Washington’s unilateral sanctions. Authorities in Caracas have denounced the seizures as “piracy,” while accusing Trump of trying to gain control of the country’s oil reserves.
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