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Ex-President Trump has asserted that US forces targeted a "major installation" in Venezuela recently. However, the ex-leader offered no details on the exact purpose or site of the strike, and officials have issued no further comment from his administration.

Unspecific Remarks Made During a Talk Show

"US forces just eliminated – I don't know if you saw – they have a big plant, where the vessels originate. Recently, we knocked that out. So we struck them with significant force," Trump reportedly informed GOP supporter and businessman John Catsimatidis in a recent interview.

Potential Significance of a Confirmed Attack

If a American military action were to be confirmed, it would constitute the first land strike since the Pentagon began a increase of US military presence in the Caribbean region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the former administration alleges operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The original objective of the force deployment has since morphed into a quarantine aimed at hindering the nation's crude oil shipments.

Online Footage and Administration Statements

Trump has for weeks indicated that US forces are ready to escalate the operations by attacking objectives within Venezuela, a strategy that would theoretically require legislative approval.

Online video posted on social media on 24 December purportedly showed an detonation allegedly from an industrial zone in Zulia state. However, the footage or the site in question has not been corroborated.

An source reportedly informed a news network that the president was describing a drug facility in his comments.

Reaction and Current Military Posture

The Caracas administration has issued no statement on the incident the former president referenced. Furthermore, there have been no independent reports from Venezuela regarding it.

The buildup of US military in the region – a stance some have termed a sea blockade – constitutes the largest naval operation of his time in office.

Officials have avoided from calling the operation as a full blockade, but have stated that about 15,000 service members are stationed across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and Coast Guard cutters to implement current economic sanctions.