Situation escalates! The United States confirms "strikes against targets within Venezuela"

U.S. President Trump publicly confirmed that the CIA conducted operations inside Venezuela this month, marking a significant escalation in the U.S. pressure strategy against Venezuela. According to reports from CNN and several other media outlets cited by the Global Times, on the 29th local time, President Trump confirmed to the media a piece of news: the Central Intelligence Agency recently carried out a drone strike on a port facility along the coast of Venezuela, believed to be used for storing and transporting drugs. Trump confirmed to the media before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that U.S. forces destroyed this "large facility," stating that a "big explosion" occurred there and "that place no longer exists." Although there have been no confirmed casualties and Venezuela has not yet officially responded, the sharp rise in geopolitical risks has drawn significant market attention. This operation took place against the backdrop of the U.S. increasing its military deployment in the region. Previously, the U.S. had launched Operation "Southern Strike" and repeatedly threatened to expand its operations against "drug trafficking groups" from the sea to land. This action quickly raised concerns about the situation spiraling out of control. Bloomberg analysis suggests that while the White House characterizes the operation as a counter-narcotics strike, it has sparked intense debate in the U.S. Congress regarding war authorization, while also testing the loyalty and limits of the Venezuelan military. Investors are closely monitoring whether the situation in the region will escalate further, potentially causing broader direct impacts on the energy market and regional geopolitical stability. Rare "Public" Secret Operation According to media reports, this strike occurred earlier this month, with the target identified by the U.S. as a "implementation area" for drug loading. Previously, U.S. media revealed that Trump mentioned this strike in a radio program on December 26, and although he stated he "didn't want to say which government department was responsible" when pressed by reporters, several U.S. officials confirmed that this was an operation executed by the CIA. Trump's decision to publicly disclose this highly classified operation has caused unease within the intelligence community. Former CIA senior operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos stated that former intelligence officials are almost universally frustrated by the president's choice to reveal secret operations. Typically, such operations are intended to send signals to adversaries while retaining diplomatic deniability. However, media outlets cited the perspective of Ryan Berg, director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), stating that Trump's move may be aimed at exerting greater pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Previously, Trump had repeatedly threatened to expand operations against Venezuela's "drug trafficking groups" from the sea to land and initiated the "Southern Strike" military operation in November. This strategy has sparked backlash in the U.S. Congress. According to multiple media reports, Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Democratic senator, condemned on social media that "airstrikes on land targets" mean that Trump's "illegal war" in Venezuela has spiraled out of control. Another Democratic senator, Ed Markey, bluntly stated that this is "an act of war," warning that Trump is leading the U.S. into an illegal war with Venezuela Maduro's Silence and Future Direction In the face of a rare direct cross-border strike from the U.S., Venezuela's response has been particularly cautious. According to Global Times, as of the time of publication, the Venezuelan government has not made a formal statement on this matter. Media observations noted that Maduro did not mention the attack during his nearly two-hour speech on Monday evening, instead emphasizing the unity and loyalty of the military. Carmen Beatriz Fernández, director of the Spanish political consulting firm DataStrategia, analyzed that Maduro is behaving very restrained because he is acutely aware of his extremely dangerous situation, which is a response that combines "fear and strategy," aimed at preserving the possibility of negotiation. Trump also revealed to the media on Monday that he had recently spoken with Maduro, but stated that the dialogue "yielded no results." Regarding the next steps, Evan Ellis, a Latin American affairs expert at the U.S. Army War College, told the media that Trump is "inching forward." If this is confirmed as a covert operation by the CIA, it would indeed be a new initiative that surpasses previous actions, but it does not necessarily mean that the U.S. will directly enter a new phase of large-scale ground attacks. Currently, the situation remains in a delicate phase of negotiation. Media pointed out that the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Tuesday sanctions against Venezuelan companies linked to Iranian drone supplies, indicating that multidimensional pressure is still ongoing. Whether Maduro can withstand this round of direct pressure from the U.S. homeland with the support of what he calls his "loyal army" will be the focus of market attention in the future