Overview
- President Donald Trump said a large explosion destroyed a pier used to load boats with drugs in Venezuela and declined to identify which U.S. entity carried out the operation.
- The New York Times and CNN, citing anonymous sources, report the CIA conducted a drone strike on a remote pier linked to Tren de Aragua, with U.S. special-operations intelligence support and no casualties reported.
- Caracas has not provided details about the site or timing as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello condemned U.S. actions, while the Venezuelan armed forces separately said they destroyed an unregistered aircraft in Apure.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted the United States bombed a cocaine facility in Maracaibo he linked to the ELN, a claim not corroborated by U.S. or Venezuelan officials.
- The strike reflects an escalation from recent U.S. sinkings of suspected drug boats and tanker seizures in the region, drawing fresh scrutiny over the operation’s legality and oversight.