President Donald Trump crossed a "red line" on Monday after he admitted that CIA operatives conducted a strike inside Venezuela, according to a legal analyst.
CNN reported on Monday that the Trump administration hit two port facilities in Venezuela. White House sources told the outlet that the administration believes the facilities were "being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for onward shipping."
Trump also appeared to acknowledge the strikes during a press conference on Monday, saying the administration "hit a dock" in the country.
Ryan Goodman, NYU law professor, said that the strikes likely violate international law.
"So the President did disclose a CIA drone strike inside Venezuela," Goodman wrote in a post on X. "And this does cross a red line of violating the UN Charter -- where the boat strikes on high seas had not."
The Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in international waters under the auspice that the boats present a national security threat. The administration has also seized oil from Venezuelan tankers in moves that some experts have said are part of Trump's aims to force Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down.
