• Trump claims U.S. "knocked out" a major drug-related facility in Venezuela.
• The strike is reportedly part of ongoing military operations against drug trafficking.
• More than 100 people have died from U.S. military actions against drug boats since September.
• Venezuelan government has not commented on the strike, and details remain scarce.
• This marks a potential shift towards land strikes in Venezuela by U.S. forces.

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. has "hit" a facility in Venezuela that allegedly processes drugs, marking a significant escalation in military operations against the Maduro government. Trump stated, "There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," indicating that U.S. forces have expanded their targets to land operations in addition to previous naval strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, according to CBS News and Los Angeles Times.

In a radio interview, Trump elaborated that U.S. forces had identified a “big facility” used for loading drug boats and mentioned a significant military build-up in the region, which has involved strikes killing over 105 individuals involved with drug trafficking since September. The Pentagon has not confirmed the details of the latest strike or which U.S. agency executed the operation, raising questions about transparency around the military actions taken, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.

Trump has hinted at a shift in tactics, suggesting that future strikes might not only target vessels but also land-based drug operations, seeking to elevate pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The nature of the latest strike reportedly involved a substantial blast in a dock area, part of an organized military strategy against narcotics trafficking, yet there has been no response from the Venezuelan government, raising concerns about the method of execution and the broader implications of such military interventions, according to India Times and SFGate.