According to CNN, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conducted a drone strike on a port facility off the coast of Venezuela earlier this month, marking the first known direct attack by the U.S. on a target within Venezuela. Sources said the target was a remote dock that the U.S. believes was used by the Venezuelan criminal group "Tren de Aragua" to store drugs and transport them out to sea. There were no people at the scene during the strike, and no casualties were reported. Trump later indirectly admitted in an interview that the U.S. had destroyed "the dock area loaded with drugs," but refused to specify whether it was carried out by the military or the CIA. The CIA declined to comment, while the U.S. Special Operations Command denied providing intelligence support. This strike is seen as potentially significantly escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. For a long time, the U.S. has used sanctions and military pressure to demand the resignation of Venezuelan President Maduro, and has already destroyed more than 30 drug-related vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific under the pretext of "anti-drug operations," while also imposing blockades on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Sources said the port attack was more symbolic tactically, but reflected the trend of the Trump administration expanding the CIA's operational authority in Latin America, including within Venezuela. Pentagon and White House officials have clearly stated that they will treat the fight against drug traffickers as a long-term operation similar to the "war on terror," with Hedges even comparing it to the "Al-Qaeda" of the region, emphasizing that they will continue to pursue it with high-precision methods.
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