Donald Trump stated that the U.S. struck Venezuelan territory to combat drug trafficking. This has never happened before. Neither government agencies in Washington nor authorities in Caracas reported anything about this strike, DW writes.
The U.S. has struck Venezuelan territory for the first time in history. This was stated by President Donald Trump on Monday, December 29.
"There was a powerful explosion at the port where drug-laden ships are loaded," Trump said before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. "We struck all the ships, and now we are hitting the area where they were doing all this. It’s no longer there."
This was Trump’s response to a request to comment on his own words from December 26. At that time, in an interview with New York radio station WABC, the Republican said: "They have a big factory or a large facility from which the ships arrive. Two days ago, we neutralized it."
It is unclear exactly where and by whom the strike was made
Neither the U.S. military nor the Venezuelan authorities have officially reported such a strike. Previously, the U.S. military had only attacked Venezuelan ships accused of transporting drugs. Each such operation drew sharp criticism in Caracas.
The CIA, the White House, and the Pentagon declined to comment to the media on the ground strike. Trump also refused to specify which U.S. law enforcement agency carried out the strike. In October, the Republican stated that he had authorized the CIA to conduct operations in Venezuela.
Social media reports mentioned an explosion at the chemical company Primazol Insumos Químicos in the coastal city of Maracaibo. The company itself stated that it was a fire in a warehouse due to faulty wiring.
According to American television channel CNN on December 30, citing sources, at the beginning of the month, the CIA struck a "remote dock" on the coast of Venezuela with a drone. It was used by the drug gang Tren de Aragua to transfer drugs onto boats. The operation was supported by reconnaissance from U.S. Army Special Operations Forces. There were no casualties as a result of the attack, CNN reports.
