President Donald Trump has declared that the US has executed a strike on a 'dock area' associated with alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking vessels. Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump referred to a 'major explosion' last week at a location where drugs are purportedly loaded onto boats. However, he offered no specifics about the location of the dock or whether US military or CIA forces were involved in the operation.
The Venezuelan government has not yet responded to these claims, and it remains uncertain if the strike occurred within Venezuelan territory. Since September, the US has launched attacks on what it asserts are drug-smuggling boats, reportedly targeting over 20 vessels associated with Venezuela, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 100 individuals.
The most recent strike, announced on Monday by the US Southern Command, involved the elimination of two 'narco-terrorists' in an operation referred to as a 'lethal kinetic strike' in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Trump has previously hinted at potential land strikes against Venezuela and has authorized covert CIA actions as part of a pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.
When queried about CIA involvement in the recent strike, Trump refrained from providing details, saying, 'I don't want to say that. I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say who it was.' He characterized the action as a significant blow to drug trafficking operations, stating, '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 strike represents the second occasion Trump has referenced the explosion. In a prior radio interview, he mentioned a US operation against a 'big facility' but provided limited context. The Pentagon has redirected inquiries regarding this operation to the White House, which has yet to comment.
The US military has a notable presence in the Caribbean, with 15,000 troops and various naval assets deployed to cut off the flow of illicit narcotics to the United States. This engagement contributes to what is described as the most extensive US military presence in the region since the Panama invasion in 1989.
Maduro and his government have vehemently denied US assertions that they are involved in drug trafficking and have condemned American efforts as a guise for political intervention linked to their vast oil reserves. The tensions continue to escalate, as Trump's administration maintains that targeting of Venezuelan operations is critical to national security.
