Trump Reveals U.S. Military Action in Venezuela

In a radio interview on Friday, President Trump unexpectedly disclosed that the U.S. military has taken action against at least one smuggling facility in Venezuela. This marks the first ground operation in his efforts against the Venezuelan regime led by Nicolás Maduro, often labeled as a narco-terrorist.

During a surprise cell phone call, Trump spoke with John Catsimatidis, a prominent Republican businessman and radio host. Catsimatidis, guest hosting on WABC, had just started discussing various topics when Trump joined the conversation.

Prior to the call, Catsimatidis mentioned having texted Trump about military operations involving Islamic State militants in northern Nigeria. Trump decided to take the opportunity to address the security landscape not just in Nigeria but globally, including plans concerning narco-terrorism in the Caribbean and Pacific.

In the course of the discussion, Trump nonchalantly confirmed that the initial ground strikes against Venezuelan smugglers had already occurred. “I don’t know if you saw this, but they have large factories that send ships out. Two nights ago, we defeated them. We hit them very hard,” he stated. However, he did not specify the location of the facility or the exact nature of the military action.

Trump began authorizing military operations against drug smuggling vessels back in September and had hinted at the possibility of a ground assault against Venezuelan smugglers since late November.

“Recently, we’ve been working on stopping Venezuelan drug traffickers. We will also start targeting them by land, which is often easier,” the president shared during a Thanksgiving call with military personnel.

On December 11, Trump had indicated to White House reporters that military actions on land would commence soon. If his timeline from the conversation with Catsimatidis is accurate, the first ground offensive in Venezuela would have taken place just over a week later.

According to The New York Times, Venezuelan authorities reportedly confirmed the strike following testimonies given, but detailed information was scarce. The reports lacked clarity on where and how the attacks had occurred or the significance of the targeted facility in the drug trafficking network.

As of now, there haven’t been any public statements from the Venezuelan government or local authorities regarding the military action.