Overview
- Speaking Friday on radio and again Monday in Florida, President Trump described a “major explosion” at a shore-based dock used to load drug boats and called the site an “implementation area.”
- Trump declined to say whether the operation was carried out by the military or the CIA and offered no location or casualty details, while the Pentagon and White House provided no public confirmation.
- Venezuelan authorities have issued no statement on any strike, and an anonymous U.S. official quoted by The Intercept called the president’s announcement misleading.
- If accurate, the action would be the first known land strike tied to a campaign that has included 29–30 attacks on suspected drug boats since September, with at least 105–107 reported deaths.
- On Monday, U.S. Southern Command announced another boat strike in the eastern Pacific that killed two, as the broader effort faces legal and congressional scrutiny following Trump’s October authorization for CIA planning and a major regional military buildup.