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American President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States had “struck” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, which would mark the first known time that the United States has conducted operations on land in Venezuela since the start of a pressure campaign against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they were loading the boats with drugs,” Trump said.
“We’ve hit every boat, and now we’re hitting the area…that’s the implementation area. That’s where they’re implementing, and it doesn’t exist anymore.”
It was not immediately clear which target was hit or which part of the U.S. government acted.
Asked if the CIA carried out the attack, Trump responded: “I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was.”
Trump has previously said he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
During a radio show last week, Trump made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a “major facility” in Venezuela.
The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on the comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident described by Trump and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela on the matter.
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Venezuela’s Communications Ministry, which handles all government press requests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The administration has previously touted its success in eliminating ships suspected of drug trafficking, and the Pentagon has posted images of several of its strikes on social media.
The lack of response from US national security agencies has raised questions about whether the incident mentioned by Trump was organized in secret. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of U.S. officials to speak out on the issue.
Last month, Reuters reported that the United States was poised to launch a new phase of operations linked to Venezuela, as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on Maduro’s government.
At the time, two U.S. officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro.
The U.S. mission has focused primarily on military strikes against ships suspected of drug trafficking and has drawn close scrutiny from Congress. More than 100 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers on a September incident in which a U.S. strike killed 11 people but left several survivors. They were killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley.
Democrats on Capitol Hill question whether the second strike was carried out in accordance with international law.
Trump’s comments come amid a massive buildup of the US military in the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops.
