President Donald Trump has confirmed that the first US land strike in Venezuela has “knocked out” a facility, in a move that signals a major escalation between the two countries.In a phone interview with WABC radio in New York on Friday, Trump said the Christmas Eve strike was on a facility “where the ships come from,” referring to the location of alleged drug vessels that the US military has been targeting in the region over the last three months."We just knocked out — I don't know if you read or you saw — they have a big plant or big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from," Trump told WABC."Two nights ago we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard."Trump did not provide further details on the apparent strike, but has said since late November that the US is moving away from maritime attacks in international waters on drug boats and will “soon” be conducting land operations in Venezuela..WIECHNIK: Alberta’s oil patch is one coup away from crisis.During the interview, WABC owner John Catsimatidis suggested that Venezuela could dramatically increase oil supplies to the US if President Nicolás Maduro were to leave power.“Well, it’s about a lot of things,” Trump stated.“It’s about that. It’s about, you know, they took our oil, they took it, and they also sent millions of people from jails into our country — from jail — some of the worst people on Earth.”The comments appear to be part of a broader campaign to increase pressure on Maduro’s government, which US officials have repeatedly described as a “narco regime.”While US naval strikes against suspected drug vessels have been ongoing since September, Trump has suggested those operations have failed to deter trafficking.Trump’s nonchalant remarks during the interview suggest that the escalation to land strikes may already be underway..Although the US government has yet to confirm any specific operation, a video posted on X showed a large explosion in Venezuela’s Zulia state near the country’s second-largest city, Maracaibo.The San Francisco municipality, where the explosion was reportedly filmed, sits along the western shore of the strait connecting Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela — a key transit route for maritime traffic.Journalist Jhorman Cruz posted footage showing a massive fire followed by explosions in the early hours of Dec. 24, but later cautioned against speculation that the incident involved US military involvement.“It is prudent to say that we still do not know what started the fire,” Cruz wrote on X.“Residents did not see anything unusual, no drones, no vehicles, nor the presence of foreigners. Be careful with strange hypotheses.”Since September 2, the US Department of Defence has been conducting strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Atlantic regions, operations the Trump administration says are aimed at dismantling routes blamed for a surge in overdose deaths.Officials say more than 105 people have been killed in those strikes.Trump has argued that targeting land-based infrastructure would be more effective, calling such targets “much easier,” and has repeatedly hinted at an imminent shift in US operations going forward.
