Missile debris confirms US drone strike in Venezuela
Debris from a missile bearing unmistakable US military markings has emerged in Venezuela's Alta Guajira region, offering concrete evidence for President Donald Trump's claim that American forces targeted a site on Venezuelan soil last month. The fragments, labeled with "WARNING" and "52.0" markings consistent with AGM-114 Hellfire or AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground missiles, first surfaced via Telemundo broadcasts and now circulate widely online.
Local Wayuu indigenous community members reported witnessing a powerful explosion on December 18 in a remote northwestern coastal area, which demolished a small structure possibly used for storage. Witnesses described a strong gunpowder scent, initially mistaking it for lightning, while several suffered temporary hearing loss from the blast's force. Recovered pieces match debris patterns from confirmed US drone strikes worldwide, including CIA-linked operations and those by the Joint Special Operations Command.
Trump publicly acknowledged the strike on December 26, describing the target as a port facility or dock used to load drug boats, marking the first known direct US military action inside Venezuela. CNN and The New York Times, citing informed sources, reported the CIA executed the operation using a drone, aimed at infrastructure tied to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group designated a foreign terrorist organization by Washington.
MQ-9 Reaper drones, operating from Puerto Rico's Rafael Hernandez Airport since September 2025 to support Caribbean counternarcotics efforts, have been spotted carrying up to 10 Hellfire missiles—double the typical load and a previously undisclosed configuration. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied the incident, telling interviewers he might address it soon while expressing openness to US talks on drugs, oil, and migration. The US military has conducted at least 35 strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, resulting in over 115 deaths.
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