CIA behind drone strike on Venezuelan drug cartel facility as Trump escalates pressure on Maduro, retired general says

Retired Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, a NewsNation contributor and former U.S. Air Force Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, broke down the rapidly escalating situation in Venezuela and fresh warnings to Iran from President Donald Trump on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio Wednesday.

Two sources told The Associated Press (AP) the CIA was behind a drone strike last week on a Venezuelan drug cartel docking facility, marking the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil since the Trump administration began military action in the region in September 2025. Newton said the evidence points in that direction.

“He revealed it was a covert operation and specifically mentioned the CIA, which is rarely done publicly,” Newton said of Trump’s comments. “In my experience with both the CIA and the Department of Defense, if it were a DoD strike, it would have been under Title 10 operations.”

Newton noted the Pentagon had no comment on the strike, which he said is telling.

“The other noteworthy aspect is that the Pentagon really had no comment, which tells me it was less a Department of Defense Title 10 operation and more of a Title 50 operation,” Newton said, referring to the legal authority that governs covert CIA operations.

Title 10 of the U.S. Code governs military operations conducted by the Department of Defense, which are generally acknowledged publicly and subject to congressional oversight. Title 50 governs covert intelligence activities, typically conducted by the CIA, with different oversight requirements and less public disclosure. The distinction matters: the U.S. government can plausibly deny Title 50 operations.

Trump first referenced the operation earlier this week, saying the U.S. had knocked out a “big facility where ships come from,” The AP reported. On Monday, he added that the strike targeted a “dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” but declined to say whether it was conducted by the military or the CIA. The CIA and White House declined to comment, according to The AP.

The strike represents a significant escalation in the administration’s months-long pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been under federal indictment in the United States since 2020 for narcoterrorism and other charges. The U.S. Justice Department this year doubled to $50 million the reward for information leading to his arrest, The AP reported.

Was the CIA drone strike on Venezuela lawful? Here’s what experts say.

Newton said he believes the strike was lawful, but emphasized that congressional notification is critical.

“The key fact we don’t know, and what I would hope, is that members of Congress were notified beforehand,” Newton said. “When these Title 50 or CIA covert operations are conducted, the Gang of Eight should be notified.”

The Gang of Eight includes the Speaker of the House, the minority leader, the Senate majority and minority leaders, and the chairs and ranking members of both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.

The strike has not been acknowledged by Venezuelan officials, according to The AP. Maduro made no mention of the operation during an hour-long speech Tuesday at an international leadership school for women.

Trump moves up the ‘escalation ladder’ against Venezuela in December 2025

Newton said the strike on Venezuelan soil represents a deliberate escalation by the Trump administration.

“What I’d really like to describe here is President Trump effectively moving up the escalation ladder,” Newton said.

He outlined the progression: a show of force with U.S. military firepower in the region, including the Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group and additional F-35s; strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean; a near-total blockade of sanctioned “ghost ships” carrying illegal oil; and now a strike on Venezuelan soil.

The strike escalates what began as a massive buildup of U.S. personnel in the Caribbean starting in August, which has been followed by at least 30 U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, according to the AP.

“I believe it was most likely a drone strike,” Newton said. “I don’t see it coming off the carrier from an F-18 attack aircraft or even a Tomahawk cruise missile.”

The goal, Newton said, is to compel Maduro to step aside or force his inner circle to push him into exile.

“The purpose is to compel Maduro to step aside, or to compel his cronies around him who’ve been keeping him in power for years to force him into exile somewhere, perhaps Cuba or Russia,” Newton said. “That’s the aim. I believe that’s what the president is shooting for.”

The U.S. has significant military assets in the Caribbean, Newton noted, including 15% of the Navy’s deployed surface combat capability, dozens of F-35s, AC-130 aircraft, and an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 sailors and Marines.

How the Venezuela situation compares to the 1989 Panama invasion

Newton compared the current situation to the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, when he was a major at the Pentagon.

“We took down Noriega in December of 1989 because of his involvement in illegal drugs and human trafficking,” Newton said. “We brought him to justice in Miami, put him in front of a court, he was found guilty, and served jail time. It’s similar, but it’s been a long time.”

However, Newton said he does not anticipate a full invasion of Venezuela.

“We’re nowhere near a point where we invade Venezuela, nor do I anticipate us doing that,” he said. “I believe it’s going to be cutting off his money-making drug operations, seizing tankers, blockading ports, preventing tankers from going in or out. I think that’s what’s going to compel him to leave, the economic piece, with the military certainly thrown in.”

Trump warns Iran: ‘We’ll knock the hell out of them’ if nuclear program rebuilds

The Venezuela escalation comes as Trump issued a stark warning to Iran during a meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters, according to The Associated Press. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.”

Israeli intelligence sources have reported that Iran is attempting to rebuild its ballistic missile capability, which was significantly degraded during a 12-day U.S.-Israeli air war in June that killed nearly 1,100 Iranians, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, The AP reported. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 people in Israel.

“If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Trump said.

Newton said the meeting with Netanyahu produced two key outcomes: strong U.S. support for Israel to continue pressuring Hamas under the ceasefire agreement, and a clear warning to Iran.

“There are reports from Israeli intelligence sources, now somewhat in the public domain, that Iran is trying to rebuild its ballistic missile capability,” Newton said. “The main threat to Israel remains ballistic missiles from Iran.”

Iran says it is in ‘full-scale war’ with U.S., Israel and Europe

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded Tuesday, saying on social media that the “answer of Islamic Republic of Iran to any cruel aggression will be harsh and discouraging,” according to The AP.

Pezeshkian said Saturday that Iran is already in a “full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe,” calling it worse than Iran’s deadly war with Iraq in the 1980s, the media outlet reported.

Iran has insisted it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, signaling openness to potential negotiations. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60%, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels, according to The AP.

Newton said even the suggestion that Iran is rebuilding its capabilities is alarming to U.S. allies. “There’s also commentary from the Ayatollah and others in Iran that they’re going to try to rebuild their nuclear weapons development capability,” Newton said. “Even the hint of that is causing a shockwave in the Middle East.”

Netanyahu, Trump discuss Gaza ceasefire and Iran threat at Mar-a-Lago

Netanyahu’s visit to Mar-a-Lago also addressed the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which Trump championed. Progress on the deal has slowed, with both sides accusing the other of violations, The AP reported.

Trump said he wants to move to the second phase of the agreement “as quickly as we can,” but added, “There has to be a disarming of Hamas.”

The second phase would involve rebuilding a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world, and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence, according to The AP.

Newton, who commanded Minot Air Force Base during 9/11 and served as Director of Global Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S.-Israel relationship is as close as ever.

“What that means is a very tight relationship, both personally and diplomatically, between the United States and Israel,” Newton said. “We’re not going to allow Hamas to regain any stature in Gaza, much less Hezbollah to the north in Lebanon. Nor are we going to allow Iran to creep back with redevelopment of ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons capability.”

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

Follow @https://twitter.com/kirocharlie