🔗 Share this article US Forces Struck a 'Large Facility' in the Venezuelan nation, Trump Asserted Without Offering Specifics. Ex-President Donald Trump has asserted that US forces hit a "large plant" in Venezuela last week. Yet, the former president withheld information about the precise purpose or site of the target, and officials have issued no further clarification from his administration. Unspecific Remarks Made In a Talk Show "US forces just destroyed – I don't know if you heard – they have a large facility, where the vessels depart from. Two nights ago, we destroyed it. So we hit them very hard," Trump reportedly told Republican donor and businessman John Catsimatidis on Friday. Possible Implications of a Confirmed Strike Should a US military action is verified, it would represent the first attack on Venezuelan soil since the Pentagon began a increase of US military presence in the Caribbean region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the former administration alleges operate under the orders of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. This stated mission of the force deployment has evolved into a quarantine aimed at stopping the nation's oil exports. Online Video and Administration Statements Trump has for weeks warned that US forces are ready to escalate the operations by hitting targets inside Venezuela, a move that would in theory require legislative approval. A clip circulated online on 24 December seemed to depict an detonation said to be from an industrial area in Zulia state. But, the video or the site in question has not been confirmed by third parties. An official from Trump's team reportedly told a news network that the president was describing a drug facility in his comments. Reaction and Ongoing Military Situation The Caracas administration has remained silent on the event the former president described. Furthermore, there have been no independent reports from Venezuela concerning it. The presence of US military in the region – a posture certain officials have called a naval quarantine – constitutes the largest naval operation of Trump's presidency. Officials have avoided from describing the action as a blockade, but have confirmed that approximately 15,000 service members are positioned across the Caribbean and the Gulf, including a carrier strike group, F-35 aircraft, and Coast Guard cutters to uphold existing sanctions.