CIA Conducts Drone Strike on Venezuelan Port Facility
Sources close to the situation informed CNN that the Central Intelligence Agency executed a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility located along Venezuela’s coastline, marking the first known U.S. military action targeting a site within the country. The strike, which had not been previously disclosed, focused on a remote dock believed to be utilized by the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua for drug storage and transportation onto boats for further distribution.
No individuals were present at the facility during the attack, resulting in no reported casualties, according to the sources. Two unnamed informants indicated that U.S. Special Operations Forces provided intelligence support for the operation, highlighting their ongoing presence in the region. However, Col. Allie Weiskopf, a representative of the U.S. Special Operations Command, contested this, stating, “Special Operations did not support this operation to include intel support.”
“Special Operations did not support this operation to include intel support,” said Col. Allie Weiskopf, a spokesperson for US Special Operations Command.
President Donald Trump first referenced the strike during an interview last week, which initially garnered limited attention. Despite being asked directly about the incident on Monday, he offered minimal specifics. Trump acknowledged the U.S. had targeted a “big facility where ships come from” as part of his administration’s broader campaign against Venezuela, elaborating, “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area, that’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”
The strike may heighten tensions with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been under U.S. pressure to resign through an aggressive military strategy. The U.S. has previously launched operations that destroyed over 30 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, framed as a counter-narcotics initiative. Additionally, Trump imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers transiting Venezuelan waters.
Although Trump had repeatedly threatened strikes within Venezuela, prior known attacks had only targeted suspected drug trafficking boats in international waters. The CIA has yet to provide a statement, while CNN has sought comments from the White House, U.S. Special Operations Command, and Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Trump’s recent expansion of the CIA’s authority to conduct operations in Lati further underscores the agency’s growing role in the region.
