Trump indicates US has ‘hit’ facility in South America

President Donald Trump has indicated that the US has “hit” a facility in South America as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the US offered no other details.

Mr Trump made the comments in what seemed to be an impromptu radio interview on Friday.

The president, who called radio host John Catsimatidis during a programme on WABC radio, was discussing US strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, which have killed at least 105 people in 29 known strikes since early September.

“I don’t know if you read or saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from,” Mr Trump said.

“Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So, we hit them very hard.”

The US president did not offer any additional details in the interview, including what kind of attack may have occurred.

The Pentagon on Monday referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth or one of the US military’s social media accounts has in the past typically announced every boat strike in a post on X, but they have not posted any notice of any strike on a facility.

The press office of Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment on Mr Trump’s statement.

The US president has for months suggested he may conduct land strikes in South America, in Venezuela or possibly another country, and in recent weeks has been saying the US would move beyond striking boats and would strike on land “soon”.

In October, Mr Trump confirmed he had authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.

The agency did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Monday.

Along with the strikes, the US has sent warships, built up military forces in the region, seized two oil tankers and pursued a third.

‘Armed conflict’

The Trump administration has said it is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and seeking to stop the flow of narcotics into the US.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the US military operations is to force him from power.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published this month that Mr Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro ‘cries uncle’”.