🔗 Share this article American Military Targeted a 'Big Complex' in Venezuela, Trump Asserted Lacking Offering Specifics. Ex-President Trump has asserted that US military assets struck a "major plant" in Venezuela recently. However, the former president withheld information about the exact nature or location of the strike, and officials have issued no additional clarification from his administration. Unspecific Comments Made During a Talk Interview "US forces just eliminated – I don't know if you heard – they have a major complex, where the ships originate. Recently, we took it out. So we struck them very hard," Trump allegedly said to Republican donor and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis on Friday. Potential Significance of a Verified Strike Should a American military action is verified, it would represent the first ground target hit since the Pentagon initiated a buildup of US military presence in the region to halt narco-trafficking operations that the former administration claims operate under the authority of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This initial objective of the military buildup has since morphed into a blockade aimed at disrupting the nation's crude oil shipments. Online Video and Administration Statements Trump has for some time stated that American military units are prepared to expand the military campaign by hitting targets inside Venezuela, a tactic that would theoretically require legislative authorization. Online video circulated online on 24 December appeared to show an detonation allegedly from an industrial zone in Zulia state. But, the video or the facility has not been corroborated. An official from Trump's team reportedly informed a media outlet that the former president was referring to a drug facility in his remarks. Response and Ongoing Military Posture The Maduro government has not commented on the event the former president described. Furthermore, there have been no verified accounts from within the country regarding it. The deployment of American forces in the region – a position certain officials have referred to as a naval quarantine – marks the largest naval operation of Trump's presidency. Officials have avoided from describing the operation as a full blockade, but have stated that about 15,000 troops are positioned across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, including a carrier strike group, F-35 aircraft, and Coast Guard cutters to implement current sanctions.