The U.S. may be signaling an expansion of its Venezuela-focused campaign to include ground operations, based on recent remarks from President Donald Trump.
Speaking Friday with radio host John Catsimitidis, Trump said the U.S. had struck a ‘big facility’ while discussing Washington’s broader effort against Latin American drug trafficking – an apparent reference to a drug production or trafficking site.
‘They have a big plant or a big facility where the ships come from,’ Trump said, without identifying Venezuela as the target. ‘Two nights ago we knocked that out.’
Asked about the comments on Monday, Trump told reporters the strike was ‘along the shore’ but declined to share whether it was conducted by the U.S. military or another entity like the CIA.
‘I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was,’ he said.
‘We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement. And that is no longer around,’ the president said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He added there was a ‘major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.’
If the facility was indeed on Venezuelan soil, it would mark the first known attack on land since the U.S. began bombing alleged narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters in early September.
More than two dozen strikes have killed 105 people so far.
While Venezuela is a known hub for trafficking drugs, such as cocaine that originates in Colombia, it is not a production hot spot. Months ago, Trump authorized the CIA to carry out covert action in Venezuela.
In recent weeks, Trump has ramped up pressure aimed at pushing leader Nicolás Maduro from power by announcing a blockade of Venezuela and seizing two ships carrying sanctioned oil.
The White House and Pentagon have not publicly confirmed whether any recent strike occurred on Venezuelan soil. Maduro’s government has not publicly acknowledged the attack.
After prior strikes in the counter-drug campaign, the administration has touted success, even posting footage on social media of boats being struck. However, if the action was carried out covertly, it would limit what U.S. officials could share.
Trump’s comments come amid the largest military buildup in the Caribbean in decades, with some 15,000 troops and the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, stationed in the region.