The CIA has carried out a drone strike on Venezuelan territory, according to a government official familiar with the operation. This marks a new escalation in the Trump administration's campaign against President Nicolás Maduro's government.
A US port facility was targeted in the strike, which was allegedly carried out by members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. No people were on the dock at the time of the attack and no one was killed, according to the official. The details of the strike offer a clearer picture of an attack first disclosed by President Donald Trump in a series of vague statements over several days.
Trump's comments suggest that he authorized the CIA operation without revealing its full scope. The president claimed that the US had "hit" an implementation area in Venezuela, where there was a major explosion in the dock area where boats load drugs. However, when asked if the CIA was directly involved, Trump refused to confirm or deny it.
The strike is part of the Trump administration's efforts to weaken Maduro's government, which have included dozens of attacks on supposed drug smuggling boats. The campaign has been widely criticized as an escalation of US interventionism in Venezuela and a threat to regional stability.
Critics argue that the CIA operation is an illegal extrajudicial killing, as the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians – even suspected criminals – without an imminent threat of violence. The strike also raises concerns about the Trump administration's disregard for international law and its willingness to bypass congressional authorization for military operations.
The US has been attacking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 107 civilians in 30 attacks. Experts say that regime change in Venezuela would be complex and problematic, with a high risk of regional instability and human rights abuses. The Trump administration's efforts to topple Maduro's government have already led to widespread discontent and opposition from many Venezuelans.
The CIA has a long history of conducting covert operations in Latin America, often with disastrous consequences. In the 1950s and 1960s, US-backed coups in countries such as Guatemala, Chile, and Brazil led to decades of instability and human rights abuses. More recently, US support for the Contras in Nicaragua and funding for right-wing militias in Colombia contributed to sectarian violence and civil wars.
As tensions between the US and Venezuela escalate, it is clear that the Trump administration's actions are driven by a desire to undermine Maduro's government and restore US influence in the region. However, this approach is likely to have unintended consequences, including further destabilization of the region and increased support for authoritarian regimes.
A US port facility was targeted in the strike, which was allegedly carried out by members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. No people were on the dock at the time of the attack and no one was killed, according to the official. The details of the strike offer a clearer picture of an attack first disclosed by President Donald Trump in a series of vague statements over several days.
Trump's comments suggest that he authorized the CIA operation without revealing its full scope. The president claimed that the US had "hit" an implementation area in Venezuela, where there was a major explosion in the dock area where boats load drugs. However, when asked if the CIA was directly involved, Trump refused to confirm or deny it.
The strike is part of the Trump administration's efforts to weaken Maduro's government, which have included dozens of attacks on supposed drug smuggling boats. The campaign has been widely criticized as an escalation of US interventionism in Venezuela and a threat to regional stability.
Critics argue that the CIA operation is an illegal extrajudicial killing, as the military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians – even suspected criminals – without an imminent threat of violence. The strike also raises concerns about the Trump administration's disregard for international law and its willingness to bypass congressional authorization for military operations.
The US has been attacking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 107 civilians in 30 attacks. Experts say that regime change in Venezuela would be complex and problematic, with a high risk of regional instability and human rights abuses. The Trump administration's efforts to topple Maduro's government have already led to widespread discontent and opposition from many Venezuelans.
The CIA has a long history of conducting covert operations in Latin America, often with disastrous consequences. In the 1950s and 1960s, US-backed coups in countries such as Guatemala, Chile, and Brazil led to decades of instability and human rights abuses. More recently, US support for the Contras in Nicaragua and funding for right-wing militias in Colombia contributed to sectarian violence and civil wars.
As tensions between the US and Venezuela escalate, it is clear that the Trump administration's actions are driven by a desire to undermine Maduro's government and restore US influence in the region. However, this approach is likely to have unintended consequences, including further destabilization of the region and increased support for authoritarian regimes.
like the us just carried out a drone strike on venezuela!!! 
what was the point of that?? it's like they're trying to provoke Maduro or something... i don't get why trump is being so aggressive about this. can't he see how it's gonna destabilize the whole region? 
and btw, 107 civilians already killed in attacks since sept lol what a mess!!! 
ugh i just don't trust trump on this one... 
the us has been playing with fire in latin america for decades and now they're gonna try to topple maduro's govt with a few drone strikes? 
please, this is just gonna lead to more chaos and instability in the region. i mean, what's the endgame here? restoring us influence? lol like venezuela has ever been a reliable ally for the us anyway 
and now we're just gonna create more problems with our own hands? 
... I mean, what's up with that? It's like something outta a bad action movie 
. Trump's all secretive about it too 
, which just adds to the weirdness. I'm not saying it was a good idea or anything, but can't we just talk things out instead of sending drones to blow stuff up? 
, but really he's just making things worse 
.
You'd think that would make headlines, but nobody seems to be talking about it 
. It's all just so... muddled 
. I mean, what even is the goal here? Is it just to make Maduro go away? 
.
, and it never ends well 
. They've caused all sorts of problems in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil... 
are just so overrated. Can't they just stick to good old-fashioned boots on the ground? I mean, what's the point of having a stealthy assassin flying around with missiles if you're just gonna end up blowing things up and killing civilians anyway? It's like, don't they learn from history? Those CIA ops in the 50s and 60s were straight disasters 
like, how many times can you mess with a country before things just get out of hand? i'm no expert but it seems like trump is trying to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong 
. trump's handling of this situation is straight shady too - it's like he wants to just go ahead and do whatever without even confirming if the CIA was directly involved 
.
. from coups to funding right-wing militias, this approach just never works out well for anyone except the US. it's time for them to take a step back and rethink their strategy 
It also makes me wonder why Trump can't just tell us more about what he's doing instead of being all vague and secretive. 
territory? That's like, totally not cool fam... it's a whole new level of interventionism here. They're just goin' around killin' people left and right without even checkin' if they got the right person or whatever... that's straight up illegal 
. But seriously, can't we all just get along... with Venezuela's oil 
? I mean, come on, Trump's trying to topple Maduro's government like it's a video game, but in real life, that's gonna lead to some major instability 
!
it's like they're tryin to recreate that chaos 
Maduro's government is already super unpopular, this just gonna make things worse, not better 
. And what really gets me is that Maduro's not even the one who's supposed to be in charge, but some US-backed opposition group or something? It's like they're trying to create a power vacuum for their own gain 
. I'm all for holding governments accountable, but you gotta do it in a way that doesn't harm innocent people - that's just basic human decency 
, but for real though, this could lead to major instability and human rights abuses... i'm not sure what the US is trying to achieve here, but it feels like they're just pouring gasoline on the fire 
... anyway, this is a big deal, people need to pay attention and not just assume that trump knows what he's doing 
... Anyway, gotta say, the Trump admin's tactics are super sketchy. Like, we all know they've been trying to undermine Maduro's gov for years, but using the CIA to attack a port facility? That's just crazy talk 
. And what about those civilians who get caught in the crossfire? Poor guys don't deserve to die because of some politicians' power struggles