🔗 Share this article American Military Targeted a 'Major Complex' in Venezuela, Trump Claimed Without Offering Details. Former President Donald Trump has claimed that US forces struck a "major plant" in Venezuela last week. But, the ex-leader withheld information about the precise nature or site of the strike, and there has been no further clarification from his administration. Vague Comments Made In a Talk Show "US forces just eliminated – I don't know if you heard – they have a large facility, where the vessels depart from. Recently, we destroyed it. So we struck them very hard," Trump allegedly informed GOP supporter and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis on Friday. Possible Implications of a Confirmed Attack If a US military action is confirmed, it would constitute the initial land strike since the US Department of Defense initiated a expansion of American military presence in the Caribbean region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration asserts operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The stated objective of the force deployment has since morphed into a quarantine aimed at hindering the country's oil exports. Online Footage and Administration Statements Trump has for weeks warned that American military units are poised to escalate the operations by attacking targets within Venezuela, a strategy that would theoretically require congressional approval. Online video shared online on 24 December seemed to depict an explosion reportedly from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. However, the footage or the site in question has not been confirmed by third parties. An source allegedly told a news network that the former president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his comments. Response and Ongoing Strategic Situation The Venezuelan government has issued no statement on the event the former president described. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from Venezuela about it. The buildup of US military in the region – a stance some have termed a naval quarantine – constitutes the broadest maritime enforcement action of Trump's presidency. Administration officials have stopped short from describing the action as a full blockade, but have confirmed that about 15,000 personnel are deployed across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and law enforcement vessels to enforce existing sanctions.