Situation escalates! The United States confirms "strikes on targets inside Venezuela"
US President Trump publicly confirmed that the CIA carried out an operation in Venezuela this month, marking a significant escalation in the US strategy of pressuring Venezuela.
Global Times quoted CNN and multiple media outlets as reporting that on the 29th local time, US President Trump confirmed to the media that: The US Central Intelligence Agency recently conducted a drone strike on a port facility along the Venezuelan coast believed to be used for storing and transporting narcotics.
Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Trump confirmed to the media that the US military destroyed this “large facility,” saying there was a “big explosion,” and “that place no longer exists.” Although casualties have not yet been confirmed, and Venezuela has not formally responded, the sharp rise in geopolitical risks has attracted strong market attention.
This operation occurred against a background of increased US military deployment in the region. Previously, the US launched the "Operation Southern Spear" and repeatedly threatened to expand its anti-narcotics operations against drug cartels from the sea to the land.
This action has quickly sparked concerns about the situation spiraling out of control. Bloomberg’s analysis points out that although the White House characterizes the operation as anti-narcotics, it has triggered intense debate in the US Congress over war authorization, and at the same time puts extreme pressure on the loyalty and bottom lines of the Venezuelan military. Investors are closely watching whether the situation in the region will further escalate, thus directly impacting energy markets and regional geopolitical stability on a broader scale.
A Rare “Public” Secret Operation
According to media reports, the strike occurred earlier this month, targeting what the US identified as a drug-laden “operational zone.” Previously, US media revealed that Trump had mentioned the attack on a radio program on December 26; later, when pressed by reporters, he said he “did not want to say which government department was responsible,” but several US officials confirmed it was a CIA operation.
Trump’s decision to publicly disclose what should have been a highly confidential operation has caused unease in the intelligence community. Former senior CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos remarked that practically all former intelligence officials feel frustrated by the president’s choice to reveal intelligence community secret actions. Usually such operations are meant to send signals to adversaries while retaining diplomatic deniability.
However, the media quoted Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), as saying that Trump's move may be aimed at using the secret operation to apply greater pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Previously, Trump had threatened several times to extend anti-drug cartel strikes from the sea to land, and launched the “Southern Spear” military operation in November.
This strategy has already faced pushback in the US Congress. According to multiple media reports, Chris Murphy, Senate Foreign Relations Committee member and Democrat, condemned on social media that "airstrikes on land targets” mean Trump’s “illegal war” in Venezuela has spiraled out of control. Another Democratic Senator, Ed Markey, bluntly called this an “act of war,” warning that Trump is leading the US into an illegal war with Venezuela.
Maduro’s Silence and the Path Forward
Faced with rare direct cross-border strikes by the US, Venezuela's reaction has been especially cautious. According to Global Times, as of press time, Venezuelan officials had not made an official statement regarding the incident. Observers noted that in a nearly two-hour speech on Monday night, Maduro did not mention the attack, but instead emphasized the unity and loyalty of the military.
Carmen Beatriz Fernández, director of Spanish political consulting firm DataStrategia, analyzed that Maduro showed great restraint because he knows he is in a very dangerous situation—a reaction combining “fear and strategy,” intended to keep open the possibility for negotiation. On Monday, Trump also revealed to the media that he had spoken with Maduro recently, but said the dialogue “led to nothing.”
Concerning the next steps, Evan Ellis, Latin America expert at the US Army War College, told the media that Trump is “inching forward.” If confirmed as a CIA secret action, this would be an unprecedented move, but does not yet mean the US will directly enter a new phase of large-scale ground attacks.
Currently, the situation remains in a delicate game. The media pointed out that on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Venezuelan companies linked to Iranian drone supplies, showing that the multi-dimensional pressure campaign is still ongoing. Whether Maduro can withstand the pressure from this direct US attack with the support of his so-called “loyal military” will be a key focus for the markets moving forward.
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