🔗 Share this article US Military Struck a 'Large Plant' in Venezuela, Trump Claimed Without Offering Details. Former President Donald Trump has claimed that US forces targeted a "significant plant" in the South American country last week. Yet, the ex-leader offered no details on the exact nature or location of the strike, and officials have issued no additional comment from his team. Unspecific Remarks Made In a Talk Show "We just eliminated – I'm not sure if you saw – they have a major complex, where the ships depart from. The other night, we took it out. So we struck them decisively," Trump allegedly said to GOP supporter and supermarket owner John Catsimatidis on Friday. Potential Significance of a Verified Attack Should a US military action is verified, it would mark the initial attack on Venezuelan soil since the US Department of Defense initiated a buildup of US strike forces in the region to interdict narco-trafficking operations that the Trump administration asserts operate under the orders of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The stated objective of the military buildup has evolved into a blockade aimed at disrupting the country's crude oil shipments. Online Video and Administration Claims Trump has for some time stated that American military units are ready to widen the operations by striking objectives inside Venezuela, a tactic that would theoretically require legislative approval. A clip shared online on 24 December seemed to depict an blast reportedly from an industrial area in a Venezuelan state. However, the video or the facility has not been independently verified. An source reportedly informed a media outlet that the former president was referring to a narco-trafficking site in his remarks. Reaction and Ongoing Military Situation The Caracas administration has remained silent on the event the former president described. Furthermore, there have been no corroborating news from Venezuela regarding it. The deployment of American forces in the area – a stance certain officials have called a naval quarantine – marks the largest maritime enforcement action of his time in office. Sources have avoided from describing the operation as a full blockade, but have confirmed that approximately 15,000 troops are deployed across the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf, including a aircraft carrier group, advanced fighter jets, and law enforcement vessels to enforce existing sanctions.