Donald Trump's shadowy military campaign against the government of Venezuela has reportedly entered a new and more aggressive phase, with the first alleged US strike on Venezuelan soil. The development comes amid a four-month pressure campaign that has so far relied on naval blockades and airstrikes at sea.
A Covert Strike with Few Details
Nearly a week after former US President Donald Trump announced what he called the first ground strike in the ongoing operation, concrete information remains scarce. Major news outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, reported late on Monday, 22 December 2025, that they had confirmed a CIA drone targeted a "port facility" allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua street gang.
No casualties have been reported, and the precise date, time, and location of the attack are still unknown. The government of Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, has maintained a conspicuous silence on the incident. If verified, this event would mark a significant escalation from previous actions, which since August have included a massive naval deployment, airstrikes killing 107 people, a total blockade of oil tankers, and the seizure of vessels.
The Psyops Battle for Power
Analysts suggest that regardless of the strike's veracity, Trump's announcement itself is a calculated move in a psychological war aimed at destabilising Maduro's regime. "It's not a war that involves massive amounts of weapons yet," said Christopher Sabatini, a senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House. "So it's more of a war of moving pieces and hoping one side folds."
This logic, experts argue, underpins the entire US strategy. The military buildup, attacks on boats, and seizure of tankers are all designed to trigger a collapse from within. "Trump's entire plan hinges on the idea that someone in Maduro's inner circle will defect," Sabatini added, noting the strategy has so far failed to yield that result.
Alejandro Velasco, a historian at New York University, stated that while the US avoids calling it a war to sidestep congressional oversight, "it is a war, as people are dying." He emphasised that Maduro is equally focused on a single objective: "For them, the war is about how to survive one more day."
Minimal Impact on Drug Trade and Regime Stability
The stated US justification for the pressure campaign is a "war on drugs," targeting groups like Tren de Aragua. However, Venezuelan experts are deeply sceptical of both the target's significance and the operation's effectiveness.
Andrés Antillano, a criminology professor at the Central University of Venezuela, said it was "unlikely" any major drug infrastructure was destroyed. He pointed out that Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in global cocaine trafficking to the US and that the Tren de Aragua gang is "very weakened and fragmented."
"If the attack really happened, it may have hit a small fishing village," Antillano speculated, suggesting its isolated nature or the regime's reluctance to acknowledge it could explain the lack of information. He drew parallels with earlier airstrikes, which Venezuela initially dismissed as fake news.
Antillano concluded that even if all of Trump's claims are true, the impact appears minimal. "They led to the deaths of fishers... but they had no impact on drug trafficking itself nor did they shake the foundations of the Maduro government," he stated, implying the latest alleged land strike is likely more about media spectacle than strategic gain.
