Ex-President Donald Trump has stated that US military assets targeted a "large installation" in the South American country recently. However, the former president did not specify the precise nature or location of the strike, and there has been no additional comment from his team.
Vague Comments Made In a Radio Interview
"We just eliminated – I don't know if you read – they have a large facility, where the ships come from. Recently, we destroyed it. So we hit them decisively," Trump allegedly informed GOP supporter and businessman John Catsimatidis on Friday.
Potential Significance of a Confirmed Attack
Should a American military action is confirmed, it would mark the initial land strike since the Pentagon initiated a expansion of US strike forces in the Caribbean region to interdict narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration alleges operate under the direction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
This initial mission of the military buildup has since morphed into a blockade aimed at hindering the country's crude oil shipments.
Online Video and Administration Claims
Trump has for some time stated that US forces are poised to expand the military campaign by attacking targets inside Venezuela, a tactic that would theoretically require congressional authorization.
Online video circulated online on 24 December seemed to depict an explosion said to be from an industrial area in a Venezuelan state. Yet, the footage or the facility has not been corroborated.
An administration official allegedly informed a news network that the president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his comments.
Reaction and Ongoing Military Posture
The Venezuelan government has remained silent on the alleged strike Trump referenced. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from within the country about it.
The buildup of US military in the region – a stance certain officials have called a maritime "quarantine" – constitutes the largest maritime enforcement action of his time in office.
Sources have avoided from describing the action as a full blockade, but have acknowledged that about 15,000 troops are positioned across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including a aircraft carrier group, F-35 aircraft, and Coast Guard cutters to enforce current sanctions.
