🔗 Share this article US Military Targeted a 'Major Facility' in Venezuela, Trump Claimed Lacking Providing Details. Former President Trump has claimed that US forces targeted a "large facility" in Venezuela last week. But, the ex-leader withheld information about the exact nature or site of the target, and officials have issued no further comment from his team. Unspecific Comments Offered During a Radio Show "US forces just knocked out – I don't know if you saw – they have a major complex, where the ships depart from. Recently, we took it out. So we struck them decisively," Trump reportedly told Republican donor and businessman John Catsimatidis in a recent interview. Possible Significance of a Confirmed Attack If a American strike were to be confirmed, it would represent the first ground target hit since the US Department of Defense began a increase of US military presence in the region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration asserts operate under the orders of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The original mission of the force deployment has transformed into a quarantine aimed at hindering the country's oil exports. Social Media Video and Official Statements Trump has for some time warned that American military units are poised to expand the military campaign by hitting objectives inside Venezuela, a strategy that would theoretically require congressional authorization. A clip shared on social media on 24 December purportedly showed an blast said to be from an industrial area in Zulia state. But, the video or the site in question has not been independently verified. An official from Trump's team allegedly told a news network that the president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his remarks. Response and Current Military Posture The Venezuelan government has issued no statement on the event Trump described. Furthermore, there have been no independent reports from within the country concerning it. The presence of American forces in the region – a position some have referred to as a sea blockade – represents the largest naval operation of the Trump era. Officials have avoided from calling the operation as a blockade, but have acknowledged that around 15,000 service members are positioned across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and law enforcement vessels to uphold current economic sanctions.