President Donald Trump indicated Monday that the U.S. has struck a dock facility along a shore linked to drug trafficking as part of its escalating campaign against Venezuela, though officials provided few details.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the facility was used to load boats accused of carrying drugs destined for the U.S. “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” he said. “They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. And that is no longer around.”
The move signals a potential expansion of U.S. operations from strikes on drug boats in international waters toward actions closer to shore. The U.S. military conducted another strike Monday in the eastern Pacific, killing two people, and has killed at least 107 individuals in 30 strikes since September.
Trump did not confirm whether the dock strike was conducted by the military or CIA, nor its exact location, though he said it was “along the shore.”
The administration has previously deployed warships, built up forces in the region, seized oil tankers, and suggested the possibility of future land strikes in Venezuela or elsewhere in South America.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the U.S. actions, asserting the operations aim to remove him from power. The White House has framed the campaign as an effort to disrupt drug trafficking into the United States.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles recently told Vanity Fair that Trump intends to continue strikes on boats until Maduro “cries uncle.”