President Donald Trump has stated that the US has carried out a strike on a dock area linked to alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump commented on a major explosion that occurred last week at a location where boats are reportedly loaded with drugs. He refrained from disclosing the exact location of the dock or confirming whether US military forces or the CIA were involved in the operation.
The Venezuelan government has not yet responded to Trump's announcement, and it remains unclear if the strike occurred within Venezuelan territory.
Since September, the US has conducted several strikes aimed at drug-smuggling vessels, reportedly targeting over 20 boats primarily from Venezuela in both the Pacific and Caribbean Seas, resulting in at least 100 fatalities.
On the most recent strike, US Southern Command reported on social media that two narco-terrorists were killed during a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific.
Previously, Trump has threatened land strikes in Venezuela and has authorized covert CIA operations in a pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.
Despite reporters' inquiries about the CIA's involvement in the attack, Trump chose to remain ambiguous, stating, I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say... we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area... it's the implementation area. That's where they implement, and that is no longer around.
This marks the second instance Trump has mentioned the explosion, having described a US operation against a big facility in a prior radio interview with limited details.
The Pentagon has referred inquiries to the White House, which has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
Historically, when the US executes strikes against alleged drug boats, the Pentagon typically shares images and videos on social media as evidence. However, no documentation of the dock incident has been released so far.
The Trump administration has framed these operations as part of a broader initiative to combat terrorism tied to drug trafficking intended for the US.
The US has deployed approximately 15,000 troops and a number of naval vessels, including aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers, to the Caribbean, marking the largest military presence in the area since the Panama invasion in 1989. The naval deployments aim to curb the influx of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States.
Among these vessels is the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier globally, from which US helicopters were reported to have launched prior to seizing an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast on December 10.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of utilizing oil revenues to finance drug trafficking operations, and Venezuela has denounced these seizures as acts of piracy. Maduro has dismissed US allegations of his involvement with drug cartels, claiming the US is utilizing its war on drugs as a cover to seek regime change and gain control of Venezuela's vast oil resources.
When questioned if the seizure goal was to destabilize Maduro's regime, Trump replied, Well, I think it probably would... That’s up to him. I think it’d be smart for him to do that. But again, we’re going to find out.
