US bombed facility in Venezuela: Petro

BOGOTA — Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had ordered the bombing of a suspected cocaine-processing facility in Maracaibo, a city in northwestern Venezuela.

The site, taking advantage of Maracaibo's coastal location, is believed to have been used to process coca paste into cocaine, Petro wrote on the social platform X.

He said the facility was operated by the National Liberation Army guerrilla group without providing further details.

Trump on Monday confirmed the US strikes happened "in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs".

It remains unclear whether the suspected cocaine-processing facility is what Trump called the "dock area".

"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," Trump said."Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard."

No details were available regarding damage to the facility, whether there were casualties or how it was attacked. "We hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it's the implementation area. That's where they implement. And that is no longer around," Trump said.

Asked about any CIA involvement, which the president said he had authorized last week, Trump said: "I don't want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don't want to say who it was. But you know, it was along the shore."

Venezuela has not commented on the attack, and President Nicolas Maduro has denied ties to the drug trade. Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the US military operations is to force him from power.

"We still have more questions than answers about this operation," Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela researcher and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Yvan Gil, Venezuela's foreign minister, claimed earlier that Trump wants the country's energy resources.

Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and exported an average of more than 770,000 barrels per day last year.

In another development, the United States announced sanctions on Tuesday targeting Iran's drone trade with Venezuela, a move that comes as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign against Maduro.

The US Treasury Department took aim at 10 individuals and entities based in Venezuela and Iran, over issues including purchases of Iranian-designed drones, efforts to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles and other concerns.

"Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley.

Shi Guang in New York contributed to this story.

Agencies - Xinhua