President Donald Trump has claimed that the US has conducted a military strike on a dock area connected to alleged Venezuelan drug operations. Speaking in Florida, Trump indicated that there was a major explosion last week in a location where drugs were reportedly loaded onto boats. However, he did not specify the exact location of the dock or whether the US military or CIA were involved in the operation.
The Venezuelan government has yet to respond, and it remains uncertain if the strike occurred within its territorial boundaries. Since September, the US has targeted drug-smuggling boats, reportedly sinking over 20 vessels and resulting in the deaths of at least 100 individuals.
The latest strike was announced by US Southern Command, stating that two narco-terrorists were killed in a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific. Trump has previously authorized covert actions against Venezuela as part of a strategy to pressure President Nicolás Maduro.
Despite inquiries about the CIA's involvement in the recent strikes, Trump opted not to disclose details, affirming, I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say who it was. He elaborated that the latest operation targeted the implementation area used for drug loading and that it was no longer in operation.
Trump’s remarks followed a radio interview where he described an earlier US operation against a big facility, so far with limited details. The Pentagon has not issued any images or confirmations regarding this latest incident, diverging from their usual practice of sharing information following previous strikes on drug operations.
Strikes against drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific have been labeled by the Trump administration as efforts against terrorism, targeting illegal drug shipments to the US. This military engagement has seen the deployment of 15,000 troops and a variety of naval ships to the Caribbean, representing the most significant US military presence in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
The US has accused Venezuela of using oil profits to fund drug-related crime, while Maduro asserts that the US is utilizing the war on drugs as a pretext to undermine his government and seize Venezuela’s oil resources. Trump’s comments suggest that disrupting drug operations may also serve a political agenda aimed at destabilizing Maduro.
