U.S. Navy Operations

Two anonymous sources told NPR and other outlets that the CIA carried out a drone strike on a Venezuelan dock last week that President Trump had publicly hinted at when he said the U.S. had “knocked out” a “big facility” used to load drug boats; the White House and Pentagon did not confirm and U.S. Special Operations said it did not support the action. The reported covert strike is the first known U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil in a wider campaign — Operation Southern Spear — that has seen scores of maritime strikes officials say killed more than 100 people and is unfolding alongside a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, bombers, F‑35s, destroyers and thousands of service members.