🔗 Share this article US Forces Struck a 'Big Plant' in Venezuela, President Trump Claimed Lacking Providing Details. Former President Trump has stated that American military assets hit a "major installation" in the South American country last week. But, the former president withheld information about the exact purpose or site of the strike, and there has been no additional comment from his camp. Vague Comments Made During a Radio Show "US forces just destroyed – I don't know if you read – they have a big plant, where the ships come from. Recently, we knocked that out. So we hit them with significant force," Trump allegedly said to Republican donor and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis on Friday. Possible Significance of a Verified Attack If a US strike were to be confirmed, it would constitute the first attack on Venezuelan soil since the Pentagon began a buildup of US strike forces in the Caribbean region to halt narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration claims operate under the orders of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The stated objective of the military buildup has evolved into a blockade aimed at disrupting the country's crude oil shipments. Social Media Footage and Official Claims Trump has for some time indicated that US forces are poised to expand the military campaign by attacking objectives inside Venezuela, a strategy that would theoretically require congressional authorization. A clip shared on social media on 24 December seemed to depict an explosion said to be from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. However, the footage or the facility has not been corroborated. An official from Trump's team allegedly told a news network that the former president was describing a drug facility in his remarks. Reaction and Current Military Situation The Maduro government has issued no statement on the incident the former president described. Furthermore, there have been no independent reports from Venezuela about it. The presence of American forces in the region – a position certain officials have referred to as a naval quarantine – constitutes the broadest maritime enforcement action of the Trump era. Sources have avoided from calling the action as a full blockade, but have acknowledged that approximately 15,000 personnel are deployed across the Caribbean and the Gulf, including a aircraft carrier group, F-35 aircraft, and law enforcement vessels to implement current sanctions.