"The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter. The first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September marks a significant escalation in the administration's months-long pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government."
"President Donald Trump first made reference to the operation in an interview Friday with John Catsimatidis on WABC radio in New York, saying the U.S. had knocked out some type of "big facility where ships come from." In an exchange with reporters Monday as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump added that the operation targeted a " dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.""
"Col. Allie Weiskopf, a spokesperson for Special Operations Command, which oversees U.S operations in the Caribbean, said in a statement that "Special Operations did not support this operation to include intel support." The strike escalates what began as a massive buildup of U.S. personnel in the Caribbean Sea starting in August, which has been followed by at least 30 U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific."
Two people familiar with the operation said the CIA carried out a drone strike at a docking area used by Venezuelan drug cartels. The strike is the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil since September and has not been acknowledged by Venezuelan officials. President Donald Trump referenced the operation, saying the U.S. knocked out a "big facility where ships come from" and that it targeted a " dock area where they load the boats up with drugs." Special Operations Command said it did not support the operation, including intelligence support. U.S. forces have previously struck alleged drug boats and imposed a quasi-blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
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