🔗 Share this article US Military Struck a 'Major Complex' in the Venezuelan nation, President Trump Asserted Without Offering Specifics. Ex-President Donald Trump has asserted that US forces hit a "significant installation" in Venezuela in recent days. But, the former president withheld information about the precise nature or location of the target, and officials have issued no additional clarification from his administration. Vague Comments Offered During a Talk Show "US forces just destroyed – I don't know if you heard – they have a major complex, where the ships come from. The other night, we knocked that out. So we targeted them very hard," Trump reportedly informed Republican donor and businessman John Catsimatidis in a recent interview. Potential Implications of a Verified Strike Should a American military action were to be verified, it would represent the first land strike since the US Department of Defense initiated a buildup of US military presence in the Caribbean region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration asserts operate under the authority of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The initial objective of the military buildup has since morphed into a blockade aimed at stopping the country's crude oil shipments. Social Media Footage and Administration Claims Trump has for weeks stated that US forces are poised to expand the military campaign by hitting targets inside Venezuela, a tactic that would in theory require congressional authorization. Online video circulated online on 24 December seemed to depict an detonation said to be from an industrial zone in Zulia state. However, the footage or the site in question has not been independently verified. An official from Trump's team reportedly told a news network that the president was describing a narco-trafficking site in his remarks. Response and Ongoing Strategic Posture The Venezuelan government has issued no statement on the event Trump referenced. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from Venezuela concerning it. The buildup of American forces in the area – a position certain officials have referred to as a naval quarantine – represents the most expansive naval operation of his time in office. Officials have avoided from calling the action as a blockade, but have confirmed that about 15,000 service members are stationed across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and Coast Guard cutters to implement existing economic sanctions.