Trump said the strike targeted a facility where boats suspected of carrying drugs load up. “There was a major explosion in the dock area. We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area.

That is no longer around,” he told reporters in Florida while meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The strike comes after more than 30 US attacks on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, which the US claims were linked to drug trafficking.

Human Rights Watch says at least 95 people have been killed in these operations.

Earlier in December, the US Navy seized two oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast, allegedly part of a “shadow fleet” smuggling sanctioned oil.

Trump’s administration has also carried out strikes in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, targeting ISIL, al-Shabab, and Houthi forces. In Nigeria, US strikes in Sokoto State reportedly targeted ISIL-affiliated groups.

In Somalia, air attacks hit al-Shabab and ISIS-Somalia, while in Syria, 70 ISIL positions were struck in retaliation for an attack on US personnel.

In Iran, US strikes on three nuclear sites in June damaged uranium enrichment facilities, reportedly delaying Tehran’s program by two years.

In Yemen, strikes under Operation Rough Rider targeted the Houthi movement, destroying infrastructure and causing dozens of casualties before a truce in May.

In Iraq, high-profile ISIL operatives were killed in March airstrikes in coordination with Iraqi intelligence.

Since January 2025, the US has carried out at least 622 overseas strikes in seven countries, using drones or aircraft, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

Analysts say these operations reflect both strategic and domestic political priorities, despite Trump’s campaign promise to reduce US involvement in foreign conflicts.