{"id":45833,"date":"2025-12-31T12:14:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=45833"},"modified":"2025-12-31T12:14:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:14:56","slug":"this-is-an-act-of-war-cia-carried-out-drone-strike-on-port-facility-inside-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/this-is-an-act-of-war-cia-carried-out-drone-strike-on-port-facility-inside-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This Is an Act of War\u2019: CIA Carried Out Drone Strike on Port Facility Inside Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/us-reaper-drone.jpg?id=62642840&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=0%2C299%2C0%2C367\" alt=\"US reaper drone\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>US Air Force personnel prepare an MQ-9 Reaper drone for a mission on the tarmac at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on December 27, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0(Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One expert called the reported drone strike a \u201cviolation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and the Take Care Clause of the Constitution.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Jake Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dec 30, 2025 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The US Central Intelligence Agency reportedly carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility inside&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/venezuela\">Venezuela<\/a>, marking the first time the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/trump-administration\">Trump administration<\/a>&nbsp;launched an attack within the South American country amid a broader military campaign that observers fear could lead to war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>CNN<\/em>&nbsp;on Monday was first to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/12\/29\/politics\/cia-drone-strike-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>&nbsp;the details of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/cia\">CIA<\/a>&nbsp;drone strike, days after President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/trump-says-us-hit-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suggested<\/a>&nbsp;in a radio interview that the US recently took out a \u201cbig facility\u201d in Venezuela, prompting confusion and alarm. Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/venezuela-cia-trump\">authorized<\/a>&nbsp;covert CIA action against Venezuela in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RECOMMENDED&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/trump-venezuela-quarantine\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/oil-tankers-are-seen-anchored-in-lake-maracaibo.jpg?id=62631458&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=333%2C0%2C334%2C0\" alt=\"oil tankers are seen anchored in Lake Maracaibo\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/trump-venezuela-quarantine\">Trump \u2018Choosing From the War Crimes Menu\u2019 With \u2018Quarantine\u2019 on Venezuela Oil Exports<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/unquestionably-an-act-of-war-trump-declares-naval-blockade-against-venezuela\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/oil-tanker-anchored-in-venezuela.jpg?id=62596084&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=70&amp;coordinates=333%2C0%2C334%2C0\" alt=\"Oil Tanker anchored in Venezuela\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/unquestionably-an-act-of-war-trump-declares-naval-blockade-against-venezuela\">\u2018Unquestionably an Act of War\u2019: Trump Declares Naval Blockade Against Venezuela<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to&nbsp;<em>CNN<\/em>, which cited unnamed sources, the drone strike \u201ctargeted a remote dock on the Venezuelan coast that the US government believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for onward shipping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To date, the Trump administration has not provided any evidence to support its claim that boats it has&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/amnesty-international-boat-strikes\">illegally<\/a>&nbsp;bombed in international waters were involved in drug trafficking. No casualties were reported from the drone strike, and the Venezuelan government has not publicly commented on the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is an act of war and illegal under both US and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/international-law\">international law<\/a>, let\u2019s just be clear about that,\u201d journalist Mehdi Hasan&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/2005909904515612784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>&nbsp;in response to news of the drone strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our people-powered journalism cannot survive without you<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your support allows Common Dreams to continue covering the stories and amplifying the voices that the corporate media never will. Make a tax-deductible year-end gift to ensure we can sustain the reporting needed to meet the challenges of 2026.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>about:blank<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brian Finucane, senior adviser with the US Program at the International Crisis Group,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bcfinucane.bsky.social\/post\/3mb6a5ndh4s2t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a>&nbsp;the reported drone attack a \u201cviolation of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legal.un.org\/repertory\/art2\/english\/rep_supp7_vol1_art2_4.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Article 2(4)<\/a>&nbsp;of the UN Charter and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/essay\/artII-S3-3-1\/ALDE_00001160\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take Care Clause of the Constitution<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSeemingly conducted as covert action and then casually disclosed by POTUS while calling into a radio show,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>CNN<\/em>\u2018s reporting, later&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/29\/us\/politics\/cia-drone-strike-venezuela.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">corroborated<\/a>&nbsp;by the&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/new-york-times\">New York Times<\/a><\/em>, came after the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/30th-alleged-drug-boat-bombed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched its 30th strike<\/a>&nbsp;on a vessel in international waters, bringing the death toll from the lawless military campaign to at least 107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<em>Times<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/29\/us\/politics\/cia-drone-strike-venezuela.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;late Monday that \u201cit is not clear\u201d if the drone used in last week\u2019s mission \u201cwas owned by the CIA or borrowed from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/us-military\">US military<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/pentagon\">Pentagon<\/a>\u00a0has stationed several MQ-9 Reaper drones, which carry Hellfire missiles, at bases in Puerto Rico as part of the pressure campaign,\u201d the\u00a0<em>Times<\/em>\u00a0added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Jake Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Full Bio &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Air Force personnel prepare an MQ-9 Reaper drone for a mission on the tarmac at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on December 27, 2025. \u00a0(Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo\/AFP via Getty Images) One expert called the reported drone strike a \u201cviolation of Article 2(4) of the&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/this-is-an-act-of-war-cia-carried-out-drone-strike-on-port-facility-inside-venezuela\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45833"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45834,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45833\/revisions\/45834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}