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U.S. missile strike hits Venezuelan military sites in Zulia state on December 24, 2025, targeting alleged drug facilities amid Operation Southern Spear.
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U.S. missile strike hits Venezuelan military sites near Maracaibo, destroying state-linked Primazol complex in precision drone attack, sources confirm.
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U.S. missile strike hits Venezuelan military sites, escalating tensions as Maduro regime denounces it as assault on sovereignty without official U.S. acknowledgment.
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U.S. missile strike hits Venezuelan military sites, with AGM-114 Hellfire fragments found, linking attack to MQ-9 Reaper drones in anti-narcotics campaign.
In a dramatic escalation of long-simmering hostilities between the United States and Venezuela, well-informed sources within Venezuelan security circles have confirmed that a U.S. missile struck key military installations in the western state of Zulia on December 24, 2025.
The attack, described as a precision strike using an MQ-9 Reaper drone armed with missiles, targeted facilities that Washington alleges were hubs for narcotics production and trafficking. However, Venezuelan insiders assert these were legitimate military outposts involved in border defense operations against Colombian drug cartels. Neither the Venezuelan government under President Nicolás Maduro nor the U.S. administration has officially acknowledged the incident, leaving a veil of deniability over what could ignite a broader regional crisis.
The strike reportedly occurred in the early hours at a site near Maracaibo, where explosions and fires ravaged a complex belonging to the state-linked Primazol company. Initial reports from Colombian President Gustavo Petro suggested a missile assault on the Alta Guajira region, but Venezuelan officials dismissed it as an “industrial incident.”
Exclusive insights from X profiles of Venezuelan journalists paint a different picture. Madelein Garcia, a correspondent for teleSUR in Caracas, posted on December 30 that while the government highlighted successes in downing nine narco-aircraft by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), the Primazol fire was no accident.
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Her thread detailed how the blaze followed unusual aerial activity, hinting at foreign intervention without direct accusation. Garcia’s updates emphasize Venezuela’s defensive posture, noting the FANB’s record-breaking interdictions along the Colombian border, framing the event as retaliation for Maduro’s anti-drug efforts.Background to this flashpoint traces back to decades of U.S.-Venezuela friction. Since the late Hugo Chávez era, Washington has imposed sanctions on Caracas, accusing it of harboring drug traffickers and undermining democracy.
Under President Donald Trump’s second term, rhetoric has sharpened. In late November 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social threatening strikes inside Venezuela, claiming the country’s oil, rare earth minerals, and lands as “assets” rightfully under U.S. influence. Venezuelan parliamentarian Jorge Rodríguez condemned this as an attempt to erase “Venezolanidad” – the nation’s cultural and sovereign identity – during a December 19 session installing a permanent Council for Sovereignty and Peace.
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Maduro, in a defiant address, vowed Venezuela would not cede its resources, continuing petroleum sales despite U.S. pressure.The alleged missile attack fits into Operation Southern Spear, a U.S.-led campaign targeting suspected drug vessels off Venezuela’s coast.
Since December, American forces have struck over 33 boats, with the December 18 incident marking the first confirmed land hit inside Venezuela. Reuters reported Trump boasting of a port facility strike, while CNN exclusively revealed CIA involvement in a drone operation on Venezuelan soil. Missile fragments recovered from the site, analyzed by independent experts, point to AGM-114 Hellfire munitions typically deployed by Reaper drones, bolstering claims of U.S. execution.
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Well-informed sources, speaking anonymously to avoid reprisals, told this reporter the targeted installations housed FANB radar systems and anti-aircraft batteries crucial for monitoring border incursions from Colombia and Brazil. One source, a mid-level officer in the Venezuelan military, described the strike as “a direct assault on our sovereignty, disguised as anti-drug action.”
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They confirmed no casualties among personnel but significant damage to equipment, forcing a rapid redeployment of defenses. This aligns with Maduro’s January 2 podcast remarks to journalist Ignacio Ramonet, where he evaded direct confirmation but assured that Venezuela’s integrated defense system – combining military, police, and popular forces – had preserved territorial integrity.
TeleSUR English amplified this, reporting Maduro’s praise for FANB’s neutralization of camouflaged drug aircraft, underscoring Venezuela’s proactive stance against trafficking.Updates as of January 3, 2026, include fresh explosions heard in Caracas overnight, with low-flying aircraft reported and a citywide power outage.
Euronews cited at least seven blasts, amid U.S. operations against smuggling vessels. Venezuelan X user Gustavo Gómez-Morón, a Univision journalist based in Orlando but with deep Caracas ties, shared unverified footage of smoke plumes, speculating on heightened U.S. forays as rehearsals for larger actions. Maduro remains open to talks with the U.S., per Al Jazeera, but silent on the dock attack.This incident risks broader fallout. Colombia’s Petro has urged restraint, while regional bodies like CELAC prepare emergency meetings.
As Venezuela celebrates the new year with agricultural communes and tourism fairs, the mood is defiant yet tense. Garcia’s latest post warns of continued U.S. aggression, quoting Maduro: “They want our oil, our lands – but no.” With no official confirmations, the world watches as shadows of intervention loom over the Caribbean nation.