Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?

President Donald Trump let slip on Friday that his administration had “knocked out” a “big plant or a big facility where the ships come from” in Venezuela. It was an admission of sorts that the U.S. military had conducted its first land strike on Venezuelan soil. On Monday, he expanded on the announcement, saying the strike was on an “implementation area” for alleged drug smuggling.

Trump’s revelation, made during a radio interview with GOP billionaire donor John Catsimatidis, comes amid...