President Donald Trump has confirmed a U.S. drone strike on a dock in Venezuela, which he claims was used by drug smugglers to load boats. The operation, carried out by the CIA, marks the first known direct action on Venezuelan soil in an escalating campaign against President Nicolás Maduro's government. The strike has raised concerns over congressional oversight and potential risks to civilians.
The strike occurred last week at a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the operation. President Trump first referenced it on Friday, December 26, 2025, during an interview with John Catsimatidis on WABC radio in New York, describing it as knocking out a "big facility where ships come from." On Monday, December 29, while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump provided more details: "There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area. It's a implementation area. That's where they implement."
This CIA-led drone strike represents a significant escalation in the U.S. pressure campaign against Maduro, which began with a buildup of personnel in the Caribbean Sea in August 2025 and has included at least 30 military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. More recently, the administration imposed a quasi-blockade to seize sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Prior operations targeted vessels in international waters, but this is the first confirmed land-based action inside Venezuela since strikes started in September.
The CIA and White House declined to comment, while Col. Allie Weiskopf of Special Operations Command stated that her unit "did not support this operation to include intel support." Trump has publicly acknowledged authorizing the CIA for covert actions in Venezuela, citing two reasons in an October 2025 statement: "No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America," and the influx of drugs via sea routes. Maduro and his inner circle have faced U.S. federal indictments for narcoterrorism since 2020, with the Justice Department doubling the reward for his arrest to $50 million this year. Maduro has denied the charges and made no mention of the strike in a Tuesday speech.
Critics, including former Ambassador John Feeley, highlight the lack of congressional briefing, noting that the so-called Gang of Eight—top bipartisan leaders—typically receives notification for such actions. Feeley described Congress as "slowly inching towards more oversight," pointing to recent hearings on related boat strikes that killed survivors. The operation has prompted questions about its scope and risks to innocent Venezuelans, with NPR's Franco Ordoñez reporting from Palm Beach that it sends a message to Maduro: the U.S. can reach him "anywhere and anytime." Trump recently spoke with Maduro but reported little impact, and further escalation, including additional land strikes, remains possible as Congress reconvenes.
