🔗 Share this article American Military Struck a 'Major Complex' in Venezuela, President Trump Asserted Lacking Providing Specifics. Former President Donald Trump has stated that American forces targeted a "large facility" in the South American country last week. But, the former president withheld information about the exact nature or site of the target, and officials have issued no additional clarification from his team. Vague Comments Made In a Radio Interview "We just destroyed – I'm not sure if you saw – they have a big plant, where the vessels come from. The other night, we took it out. So we struck them very hard," Trump reportedly said to GOP supporter and businessman John Catsimatidis on Friday. Possible Implications of a Confirmed Strike If a US military action were to be confirmed, it would mark the first attack on Venezuelan soil since the US Department of Defense initiated a increase of US strike forces in the Caribbean region to interdict drug traffickers that the Trump administration alleges operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. This original purpose of the military buildup has since morphed into a blockade aimed at stopping the country's oil exports. Social Media Video and Official Statements Trump has for weeks warned that American military units are prepared to expand the operations by striking objectives inside Venezuela, a strategy that would theoretically require congressional authorization. Video footage posted on social media on 24 December seemed to depict an detonation said to be from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. Yet, the footage or the site in question has not been independently verified. An source reportedly informed a news network that the former president was describing a drug facility in his remarks. Response and Ongoing Strategic Situation The Venezuelan government has issued no statement on the event Trump described. Furthermore, there have been no corroborating news from within the country regarding it. The presence of American forces in the area – a position some have termed a sea blockade – represents the largest naval operation of the Trump era. Officials have refrained from labeling the operation as a blockade, but have stated that about 15,000 service members are deployed across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including a aircraft carrier group, advanced fighter jets, and law enforcement vessels to uphold existing sanctions.