Fox News abruptly halted for Trump announcement after ‘major explosion’

Fox News interrupted its regular programming to broadcast a breaking announcement from President Donald Trump.

Trump revealed that U.S. military forces had carried out a major strike targeting drug-smuggling boats and port facilities in Venezuela. He described the operation as a “powerful explosion” along the Venezuelan coastline and claimed it represented a decisive blow against narcotics networks linked to President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

During a live press conference at Mar-a-Lago on December 29, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu present, Trump said U.S. forces destroyed vessels being loaded with drugs as well as the surrounding dock area. He stated, “There was a major explosion and the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs… So we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area the implementation area that’s where they implement. That is no longer around.”

Details about the exact location, execution, and potential casualties of the strike remain unclear. U.S. officials confirmed to The New York Times that a Venezuelan drug facility had been eliminated, but further specifics were not released. The Venezuelan government has yet to respond publicly.

If verified, this would mark the first known U.S. land-based strike inside Venezuela since Trump’s administration began intensifying pressure on Maduro, supplementing ongoing maritime operations against suspected drug-smuggling vessels. Since September 2, U.S. forces have reportedly targeted at least 28 trafficking ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing over 100 individuals labeled by officials as “narcoterrorists.” Critics argue these operations may constitute extrajudicial killings, noting that Venezuelan cartels are primarily involved in cocaine trafficking rather than fentanyl.

In previous statements, Trump confirmed authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, with special forces reportedly deployed in recent months. U.S. forces have also blocked sanctioned oil tankers, seizing at least two vessels while pursuing another off Venezuela’s coast.

Trump further commented on the strike during an interview on New York’s WABC radio show Cats & Cosby, praising the military’s actions and noting that a key facility had been eliminated just days prior. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard,” he said, emphasizing the operation’s impact on drug-trafficking infrastructure.