President Donald Trump claimed that the United States attacked an alleged drug trafficking facility in Venezuela, which would be the first US military action in Venezuela, amid tensions against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

“They have a big plant or a big facility where the ships come from,” Trump said. “We dismantled it two nights ago.” The president made the statement Friday during an interview with John Catsimatidis, a Republican billionaire and supporter of the president, who owns the New York radio station WABC. They were discussing US military actions against alleged drug trafficking vessels in Latin America, with attacks in the Caribbean and the Pacific. According to a New York Times report, US officials stated that the president was referring to a drug trafficking facility in Venezuela, which was dismantled, although there are no details of the operation. In other words, there is no official confirmation of the events, except for the revelation by President Trump, who in early December said that the US would lead ground operations in Venezuela. “We're going to start doing those attacks on land as well,” Trump said at the December 2 cabinet meeting. "You know, it's much easier on land. And we know the routes they take, we know everything about them. We know where they live, we know where the bad guys live. And we're going to start that very soon too." United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Vokker Turk, as violations of international law.

“These attacks and their growing human cost are unacceptable.

“The United States must stop these attacks and take all necessary measures to prevent the extrajudicial killings of people on board these vessels,” the High Commissioner stated last October. “US airstrikes against vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific violate international human rights law.” In addition to the criticism,A lawsuit filed in the Southern District Court of New York by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CDC), and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYUCL) demands the immediate release of an opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) and other documents related to the lethal attacks in international waters.