Palm Beach, Florida, 30 December (H.S.): President Donald Trump announced on Monday that United States forces executed a precision strike on a critical docking facility in Venezuela, marking the first known land-based operation in an escalating campaign against narcotics trafficking from Latin America.

Speaking to reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago estate during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump described a major explosion that obliterated the site where speedboats allegedly load illicit drugs destined for American shores.

They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area... and that is no longer around, he stated, emphasizing the facility's role as an implementation area along the Venezuelan shoreline.

Escalation from Maritime to Territorial Strikes

This development follows months of U.S. naval and aerial operations under Operation Southern Spear, which have targeted over 30 suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, resulting in at least 107 fatalities. Trump, who previously authorized CIA covert activities within Venezuela and deployed warships to interdict oil tankers funding the Maduro regime, had hinted at land strikes in recent radio interviews, signaling a shift from sea interdictions to infrastructure disruption.

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House has disclosed operational details, such as the strike's precise location—speculated by some reports near Maracaibo—or whether it involved military drones, missiles, or special forces, leaving Venezuelan officials silent amid rising regional tensions.

Broader Campaign and International Repercussions

The Trump administration frames these actions as an armed conflict with narco-terrorist networks like Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, accused of funneling cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S., though evidence of specific cargoes remains classified. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denounced the maneuvers as a pretext for regime change, vowing self-defense while U.S. forces seize tankers and expand naval presence.

Critics question the strikes' legality under international law, particularly without congressional approval, as the campaign intensifies pressure on Caracas amid stalled diplomatic efforts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar