The United States has launched its first known operation inside Venezuelan territory as part of an intensified pressure campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro, according to a report from The New York Times.
The Times revealed on Tuesday, December 30, that the Central Intelligence Agency utilized a drone to strike a port facility in Venezuela. American officials believe the facility was being used by the Tren de Aragua gang to store narcotics and prepare them for maritime transport.
President Trump confirmed the aggressive action, stating, “there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.” Speaking on the operation’s intent, the President added, “They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area.”
This operation represents a significant shift in American strategy. While the U.S. has targeted drug-smuggling vessels in international waters for months, this dock strike marks the “first known American operation inside Venezuela.” The move signals that the Trump administration has entered an “aggressive new phase” in its confrontation with the Maduro regime.
The White House has justified these actions by alleging close operational ties between the Maduro government and the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. However, the report notes that the United States’ own intelligence agencies have “cast doubt on those claims.”
The Venezuelan government has not directly addressed the specifics of the dock strike but has issued a sharp condemnation of American activities in the region. Venezuela’s Interior Minister denounced what he described as months of “imperial madness,” accusing the U.S. of “harassment, threats, attacks, piracy and murders.”
Parallel to the C.I.A. operation, the U.S. military continues its kinetic operations at sea. Pentagon officials confirmed a separate strike in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which targeted a vessel on a “known narco-trafficking route.” That attack resulted in two deaths.
According to The Times, this military action marks the 30th such attack since early September. These operations, which have resulted in at least 107 deaths, have drawn criticism from legal experts and members of Congress who have characterized the incidents as “extrajudicial killings.”