🔗 Share this article US Military Targeted a 'Major Plant' in Venezuela, President Trump Stated Lacking Offering Specifics. Ex-President Donald Trump has stated that American forces targeted a "major plant" in the South American country in recent days. Yet, the ex-leader withheld information about the precise purpose or location of the strike, and there has been no further clarification from his camp. Vague Comments Offered In a Talk Interview "We just eliminated – I don't know if you saw – they have a large facility, where the vessels depart from. The other night, we knocked that out. So we struck them very hard," Trump reportedly said to GOP supporter and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis in a recent interview. Possible Significance of a Verified Attack Should a US military action is verified, it would represent the initial land strike since the US Department of Defense began a expansion of US military presence in the region to disrupt narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration alleges operate under the orders of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The original mission of the force deployment has transformed into a quarantine aimed at disrupting the country's crude oil shipments. Social Media Video and Official Claims Trump has for some time indicated that American military units are poised to widen the operations by striking objectives inside Venezuela, a move that would theoretically require congressional authorization. A clip shared on social media on 24 December purportedly showed an explosion allegedly from an industrial zone in a Venezuelan state. But, the video or the facility has not been corroborated. An administration official reportedly told a media outlet that the president was referring to a drug facility in his remarks. Reaction and Ongoing Military Posture The Maduro government has issued no statement on the event Trump referenced. Furthermore, there have been no independent reports from Venezuela about it. The buildup of US military in the region – a position some have referred to as a sea blockade – marks the largest naval operation of the Trump era. Officials have stopped short from labeling the operation as a full blockade, but have stated that about 15,000 service members are stationed across the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf, including a carrier strike group, advanced fighter jets, and Coast Guard cutters to enforce current economic sanctions.