President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had carried out a strike on a location in Venezuela where boats were being loaded with drugs. This marks the first known instance of U.S. activity on Venezuelan land since Washington began its pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro’s government. 

Speaking to reporters, Trump said there had been a significant blast at the site. “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” he said. He added, “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area, it’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.” 

However, Trump did not clarify exactly what target was struck or which U.S. agency carried out the operation. When asked directly whether the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was responsible, Trump replied, “I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don’t want to say who it was.” 

CNN, citing unnamed sources, reported on Monday that the CIA had conducted a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility along Venezuela’s coast. According to the report, the strike targeted a remote dock that the United States believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The dock was allegedly used to store drugs and move them onto boats for shipment to other destinations. 

Trump has previously said that he authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela. Last week, during an appearance on a radio show, he made vague remarks about an apparent U.S. action against what he described as a “big facility” in the country. 

So far, there has been no official confirmation from U.S. national security agencies. The CIA, the White House, and the Pentagon have not publicly explained Trump’s comments and declined to respond to questions from Reuters. The Venezuelan government has also remained silent on the incident described by Trump, and there have been no independent reports from within Venezuela confirming the strike. 

There has been some speculation online linking Trump’s remarks to a separate incident. A chemical plant called Primazol, located in Venezuela’s Zulia state, suffered a fire on Christmas Eve. However, the company denied rumors that the fire was connected to what Trump was referring to. Primazol said the blaze was quickly put out and that an investigation was underway. Residents living nearby told Reuters that they heard an explosion, saw flames, and smelled chlorine at the time of the incident. 

The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all media requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. 

Trump’s administration has previously highlighted its actions against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the region. The Pentagon has shared videos of several such strikes on social media platforms. Still, the lack of any official response from U.S. defense or intelligence agencies has raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was a covert operation. If it was conducted secretly, it would limit how much U.S. officials are able to say publicly about it. 

Last month, it was reported that the United States was preparing to launch a new phase of operations related to Venezuela as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on Maduro’s government. At that time, two U.S. officials said that covert operations would likely be the first part of this new approach. 

The U.S. mission has largely focused on military strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. These operations have been closely watched by Congress. According to U.S. officials, more than 100 people have been killed in over 20 strikes carried out in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. 

Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers about an incident that took place in September. In that case, an American strike killed 11 people but left several survivors. Those survivors were later killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley. Congressional Democrats have raised concerns about whether the second strike followed international law. 

Under Trump’s administration, the United States has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean region. This build-up includes more than 15,000 U.S. troops, as Washington continues to tighten pressure on Venezuela and step up efforts against drug trafficking networks.