🔗 Share this article US Military Targeted a 'Major Facility' in the Venezuelan nation, Trump Asserted Without Providing Details. Former President Trump has asserted that American military assets hit a "significant plant" in Venezuela recently. However, the former president offered no details on the precise nature or site of the target, and officials have issued no additional clarification from his administration. Unspecific Comments Offered During a Radio Interview "US forces just eliminated – I don't know if you read – they have a major complex, where the ships come from. The other night, we took it out. So we struck them very hard," Trump allegedly said to Republican donor and businessman John Catsimatidis on Friday. Potential Significance of a Verified Strike If a American military action were to be confirmed, it would constitute the initial land strike since the Pentagon began a expansion of American strike forces in the Caribbean region to disrupt drug traffickers that the Trump administration claims operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. This initial purpose of the military buildup has since morphed into a blockade aimed at hindering the nation's crude oil shipments. Online Video and Official Claims Trump has for some time stated that American military units are prepared to widen the military campaign by hitting objectives inside Venezuela, a move that would theoretically require legislative authorization. Online video posted online on 24 December appeared to show an detonation said to be from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. However, the footage or the facility has not been corroborated. An administration official reportedly told a media outlet that the former president was describing a drug facility in his comments. Reaction and Ongoing Military Posture The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump referenced. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from within the country concerning it. The deployment of US military in the area – a posture some have referred to as a maritime "quarantine" – constitutes the largest naval operation of Trump's presidency. Administration officials have stopped short from describing the operation as a blockade, but have acknowledged that approximately 15,000 troops are deployed across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and Coast Guard cutters to uphold existing economic sanctions.