🔗 Share this article US Military Targeted a 'Big Complex' in Venezuela, President Trump Asserted Without Providing Specifics. Former President Donald Trump has stated that US military assets hit a "large plant" in Venezuela last week. Yet, the ex-leader did not specify the precise nature or location of the target, and officials have issued no additional clarification from his camp. Unspecific Remarks Made During a Talk Show "We just destroyed – I don't know if you saw – they have a large facility, where the vessels originate. Two nights ago, we took it out. So we hit them decisively," Trump reportedly said to GOP supporter and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis in a recent interview. Potential Significance of a Verified Strike Should a US military action is confirmed, it would mark the first ground target hit since the US Department of Defense initiated a increase of US strike forces in the region to disrupt drug traffickers that the former administration claims operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The original mission of the military buildup has since morphed into a quarantine aimed at stopping the country's crude oil shipments. Social Media Video and Official Claims Trump has for some time warned that American military units are poised to widen the operations by attacking targets inside Venezuela, a tactic that would theoretically require congressional approval. A clip circulated online on 24 December purportedly showed an explosion reportedly from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. But, the video or the facility has not been independently verified. An source reportedly informed a news network that the president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his comments. Reaction and Ongoing Military Posture The Maduro government has issued no statement on the incident the former president described. Additionally, there have been no verified accounts from Venezuela about it. The presence of American forces in the area – a position certain officials have termed a naval quarantine – constitutes the largest naval operation of his time in office. Administration officials have stopped short from labeling the action as a blockade, but have acknowledged that around 15,000 personnel are stationed across the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf, including a carrier strike group, F-35 aircraft, and Coast Guard cutters to enforce existing sanctions.