The United States has conducted what appears to be its first known drone airstrike on a Venezuelan port facility linked to drug trafficking, according to presidential remarks and reporting by major news outlets. The strike, described by officials as precision action against a coastal dock used by traffickers, comes amid an expanding U.S. counter-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that U.S. forces had “hit and destroyed” a dock or coastal loading area in Venezuela that the administration says was used for moving narcotics toward the Caribbean. Trump offered few specifics on location, timing, or the force behind the strike.
Reporting by CNN and other outlets cites unnamed U.S. government sources who said the drone airstrike on the Venezuelan port facility targeted a remote dock the U.S. believed was used by the Tren de Aragua gang to store drugs and transfer them onto boats for onward shipment. No casualties were reported because the site was empty at the time.
The operation appears to be linked to a broader U.S. effort known as Operation Southern Spear, which began in August with airstrikes against vessels alleged to be involved in narcotics trafficking and a significant buildup of U.S. naval and support forces in the Caribbean. The strike on land represents a notable extension of that campaign.
Details on the platform and weapons used remain unconfirmed. Analysts say a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone such as the MQ-9 class with precision munitions would be a plausible choice for a coastal precision engagement. Chief U.S. agencies, including the CIA and Department of Defense, have not publicly confirmed which entity executed the strike.
U.S. special operations and intelligence support to the mission has been reported, though a spokesperson for Special Operations Command said the command did not provide intelligence support, highlighting the limited public record.
Venezuelan authorities have not independently confirmed the incident, and open-source verification of the site and effects is lacking. Without imagery or corroboration from on-the-ground reporting, independent assessment of damage or target nature is not possible.
The strike comes as tensions between Washington and Caracas remain high amid U.S. sanctions and ongoing pressure on Venezuelan leadership over alleged narco-trafficking links. The expansion of U.S. kinetic actions from maritime targets to a land facility could have diplomatic and legal ramifications.
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