Trump confirms US attack on port area in Venezuela

Conflicts

Trump confirms US attack on port area in Venezuela

Washington is increasing pressure on the authoritarian government in Caracas. After dozens of attacks on boats allegedly carrying drugs, an attack on a facility in a port area followed.

In the escalating conflict between the United States and Venezuela, the United States has attacked an alleged “drug hub” in the South American country, according to President Donald Trump. “There was a big explosion in the port area where the boats are loaded with drugs,” he said before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday. The Venezuelan leadership initially did not comment on the incident.

On Friday, Trump hinted at such a blow in an impromptu interview on radio station 77 WABC. “I don’t know if you’ve read it or seen it, they have a large facility or a large facility that the ships come from,” Trump said. He added: “Two nights ago we switched them off. So we hit them very hard.” Trump did not provide further details, such as whether and, if so, how many people were killed in the attack. Details about the type of blow are also missing.

The New York Times reported that the US foreign secret service CIA had used a drone to attack a wharf where the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was hiding drugs and possibly loading them onto boats. There were no people in the target area at the time of the attack, the newspaper wrote, citing people involved in the matter.

The Venezuelan chemical company Primazol said that a fire occurred in a warehouse in the port city of Maracaibo on Christmas. “We strongly reject reports circulating on the Internet,” it said in a statement. It was initially unclear whether the company was referring to reports of a US military strike. In another statement, the company said the fire was caused by a short circuit.

The United States has attacked dozens of boats in the Caribbean and Pacific in recent months that were allegedly smuggling drugs. It was only on Monday that the US armed forces sank another boat that was suspected to be loaded with drugs in the eastern Pacific. Two men were killed.

According to official information, over 100 people have been killed in around 30 attacks since the beginning of December. There are concerns about whether the deadly attacks on suspected drug smugglers in international waters are permissible under international law.