The CIA carried out a drone strike last week on a dock in Venezuela believed to be used by drug cartels, according to sources familiar with the classified operation.
The strike, the first known direct U.S. action on Venezuelan soil since September, represents a major escalation in Washington’s campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelan authorities have not commented on the attack.
President Donald Trump confirmed the operation in a radio interview and during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, saying the strike targeted a dock where drugs were loaded onto boats.
Trump declined to specify whether the military or CIA conducted the attack. Special Operations Command stated it did not support the operation.
The strike follows a months-long U.S. buildup in the Caribbean, including at least 30 strikes on suspected drug boats and a quasi-blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
Trump has repeatedly threatened land-based strikes in Venezuela and publicly acknowledged authorizing covert CIA operations to counter drug trafficking and security threats.
Maduro and his inner circle remain under U.S. indictment for narcoterrorism, with a $50 million reward now offered for information leading to his arrest.