🔗 Share this article US Military Targeted a 'Major Plant' in the Venezuelan nation, President Trump Claimed Lacking Offering Details. Ex-President Donald Trump has asserted that American forces hit a "major facility" in Venezuela last week. However, the ex-leader offered no details on the exact purpose or location of the target, and there has been no additional clarification from his camp. Unspecific Comments Made In a Talk Show "US forces just knocked out – I'm not sure if you heard – they have a major complex, where the ships originate. The other night, we took it out. So we targeted them decisively," Trump allegedly said to Republican donor and businessman John Catsimatidis in a recent interview. Potential Significance of a Confirmed Strike If a American military action were to be verified, it would constitute the first attack on Venezuelan soil since the US Department of Defense began a buildup of American military presence in the region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the former administration asserts operate under the orders of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The original objective of the force deployment has since morphed into a quarantine aimed at hindering the nation's crude oil shipments. Social Media Video and Official Statements Trump has for some time indicated that American military units are ready to expand the operations by attacking targets within Venezuela, a move that would in theory require legislative authorization. Video footage posted online on 24 December seemed to depict an detonation allegedly from an industrial area in Zulia state. However, the video or the facility has not been independently verified. An source allegedly told a media outlet that the president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his comments. Response and Current Military Situation The Venezuelan government has remained silent on the event Trump described. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from within the country concerning it. The buildup of American forces in the area – a posture certain officials have called a maritime "quarantine" – constitutes the largest naval operation of his time in office. Sources have refrained from labeling the action as a full blockade, but have acknowledged that approximately 15,000 personnel are positioned across the Caribbean and the Gulf, including a aircraft carrier group, F-35 aircraft, and law enforcement vessels to implement existing economic sanctions.