Trump US Strike Venezuela Dock 2025: CIA Drone Strike Escalates Tensions

The war on drugs has crossed a dangerous new line. President Donald Trump confirmed on December 30, 2025, that the US carried out a strike on a "dock area" inside Venezuela linked to alleged drug smuggling. If confirmed as a land-based operation, it marks the first known US military strike inside Venezuelan territory, signaling a massive escalation in the pressure campaign against the Nicolás Maduro administration.

Trump US Strike Venezuela Dock and the Role of the CIA

According to Reuters, Trump described a "major explosion" at a facility where "they load the boats up with drugs." While the President remained tight-lipped about the specifics, CNN and the New York Times reported that the explosion resulted from a CIA drone strike. When reporters pressed him on the CIA's involvement, Trump replied, "I know exactly who it was, but I don't want to say who it was."

A Massive Deployment Not Seen Since 1989

The scale of the current US operation is staggering. Since September, the US has targeted over 20 vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in at least 100 deaths. The US has deployed 15,000 troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, to the region. It's the most significant military presence in the area since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

Venezuela has condemned the strikes and recent tanker seizures as "piracy." President Maduro claims the US is using the "war on drugs" as a smokescreen to seize Venezuela's oil reserves and topple his government. Trump, however, hinted that the seizures might eventually force Maduro from power, stating, "I think it'd be smart for him to do that."