The CIA conducted a drone strike against a port facility on Venezuela’s coast earlier this month, as per reports. This marks the first confirmed American attack on a target within Venezuela. US President Donald Trump seemingly acknowledged the strike during an impromptu radio conversation on Friday. When questioned by journalists on Monday about an explosion in Venezuela, Trump confirmed that the US had targeted a site where suspected drug trafficking vessels were being loaded.
Trump mentioned the incident while meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, stating, “There was a significant explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.” The operation specifically targeted an isolated dock on Venezuela’s shoreline, which intelligence indicated was being used by the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua for storing and moving narcotics onto ships for global distribution, according to CNN.
No casualties have been reported, as officials believe the site was empty when the strike occurred. The attack seemed to attract little attention, even domestically, at the time. This strike could escalate tensions between the US and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as the US has been pressuring Maduro to step down through military actions.
As part of what it claims is an anti-drug operation, the US has focused on over 30 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Additionally, Trump has imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. Although Trump has frequently threatened military actions in Venezuela, the only confirmed strikes on Venezuelan targets before the recent CIA operation were against alleged drug trafficking boats in international waters.
CNN reported that the CIA declined to comment on the operation.