President Donald Trump revealed Friday that U.S. forces recently destroyed what he described as a “big facility” tied to drug operations connected to Venezuela, a comment that may signal the first acknowledged land strike inside the country since his administration launched military operations in September.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with John Catsimatidis on The Cats & Cosby Show, where he was discussing the U.S. military’s ongoing campaign targeting suspected drug boats operating off Venezuela’s coast. In the course of that conversation, the president appeared to reference a direct strike against a fixed facility rather than maritime targets alone.
“They have a big plant or a big facility where the ships come from,” Trump said. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out.” The president did not specify the location of the facility, but American officials later told the New York Times that Trump was referring to a drug facility inside Venezuela that had been eliminated.
Trump’s comment stands as the only public report of such an attack. No confirmation has come from other Latin American governments, and Venezuelan authorities have not disclosed any strike of this nature. Still, if the account is accurate, it would represent a significant escalation in Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuela and its socialist government.
A strike on Venezuelan soil would mark a notable intensification of the administration’s actions against President Nicolás Maduro. Since September, the United States has been conducting bombings of vessels allegedly transporting drugs near Venezuela’s coast. Those operations have reportedly killed more than 100 people since they began.
The pressure campaign has expanded steadily. In October, the New York Times reported that Trump had secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert actions in Venezuela, a move the president later confirmed publicly. The administration has also taken steps to tighten the screws economically and militarily, including shutting down airspace over the country and seizing oil tankers near Venezuelan shores earlier this month as part of what has been described as an ongoing blockade.
Trump has previously signaled that land strikes were under consideration as his administration ramped up its efforts against drug cartels operating in and around Venezuela. In October, during an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked directly whether the next phase of the campaign could involve operations on land.
“Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly,” Trump responded at the time. “But we are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control.” That comment, combined with his latest remarks, suggests that the administration may be moving beyond maritime enforcement toward more direct action.
Despite Trump’s statements, questions remain. Military officials told the New York Times that they had no information to share regarding the alleged strike on a “big facility.” Both the CIA and the White House declined to comment when asked for clarification.
Trump’s comments nonetheless underscore his administration’s aggressive posture toward Venezuela, framing the campaign as part of a broader war on drug cartels and illicit trafficking. Whether the reported strike marks a one-off operation or the beginning of a new phase remains unclear, but the president’s remarks make clear that the pressure on Caracas is not easing anytime soon.
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