Trump confirms military strike on Venezuelan facility
In a significant development that threatens a dangerous escalation in the Caribbean, US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the United States had conducted a targeted operation against and destroyed a port in Venezuela, stating that the site was being used as a launching point for drug-smuggling boats. This announcement represents a shift in Washington's strategy toward Caracas, as this operation could be the first publicly acknowledged ground strike in the ongoing US military campaign in the region.
Details of the "Big Bang"
The US president described the operation in detail, telling reporters, “There was a big explosion in the marina area where they load the boats with drugs. We targeted all the boats with great precision, and then we targeted the site itself, and it no longer exists.” Trump explained that the targeted site was on the coast, but he declined to say whether the operation was carried out by direct military action or by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and he also withheld the precise geographical location of the strike.
Trump had previously hinted at this in a radio interview with billionaire John Catsimatidis, referring to the destruction of a “large facility” for the production of smuggling boats, saying: “They have a large factory or facility where they send out boats… Two nights ago we destroyed it and dealt them a very strong blow.”.
Conflict context: Maximum pressure strategy
This event cannot be separated from the broader context of strained relations between Washington and Caracas. For years, the US administration has pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the United States accuses not only of dictatorship and human rights abuses, but also of running a massive drug trafficking cartel known as the “Cartel of the Suns.”.
This strike comes as the United States has deployed destroyers and warships to the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific since September, in one of the largest counter-narcotics military operations in the Western Hemisphere. These moves are aimed at crippling the Venezuelan regime's finances, which are increasingly reliant on illicit revenues under crippling economic sanctions and an oil embargo.
International dimensions and expected risks
The shift from naval blockades and economic sanctions to strikes against land targets carries serious implications at the regional and international levels. Venezuela enjoys the support of major international powers such as Russia and China, and any direct military escalation could drag the region into wider geopolitical tensions.
For its part, Caracas categorically denies these accusations, asserting that the Trump administration is fabricating the pretext of "counter-narcotics" as a cover for military intervention aimed at overthrowing the Maduro regime and seizing control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world. With Trump confirming the possibility of further ground strikes against the cartels, the situation remains poised to escalate further in the coming days.
