Overview
- President Donald Trump said a “big explosion” hit a harbor site he described as a drug‑loading facility, offering no details on casualties.
- The New York Times and CNN reported the CIA conducted a drone strike on a quay used to hide and possibly load narcotics, with sources saying no people were present.
- Die Zeit characterized the action as the first time the U.S. has attacked a target directly on Venezuelan territory.
- Venezuelan chemical company Primazol reported a Christmas Day warehouse fire in Maracaibo, attributed it to an electrical short, and rejected circulating reports.
- The move follows months of U.S. strikes on suspected smuggling boats that officials say have killed more than 100 people since early December, alongside regional force deployments and the seizure of several oil tankers.