CIA's Covert Strike on Venezuelan Drug Cartel: A New Chapter in US Pressure Campaign

The CIA launched a drone strike on a Venezuelan dock area used by drug cartels, marking the first known direct US operation on Venezuelan soil since September. This escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro's government. Trump acknowledged authorizing the operation, although official comments remain sparse.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) executed a drone strike last week on a Venezuelan docking site allegedly used by drug cartels connected with President Nicolás Maduro's government, according to insiders familiar with the classified operation.

This marks the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan land since September, significantly intensifying the Trump administration's campaign against Maduro. Despite President Trump's public acknowledgment of the strike, Venezuelan officials have yet to respond.

The operation is part of a broader U.S. strategy involving military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, as well as a quasi-blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. President Trump justified the CIA's covert actions owing to drug trafficking concerns and the influx of Venezuelan prisoners into the U.S.

(With inputs from agencies.)