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U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” marking the latest escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The declaration comes after months of growing U.S. military activity across Latin America, including deployments of Marines, warships, fighter and bomber aircraft, submarines and drones amid speculation that Washington could launch an attack on Venezuela.
The U.S. military has so far conducted 21 attacks on vessels it describes as suspected drug-smuggling boats, resulting in the deaths of at least 83 individuals who the administration has labeled “narco-terrorists.”
On Thursday, Trump said the U.S. would “very soon” begin taking action to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land as well.
The escalation also follows Washington’s formal designation of the Venezuela-based “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization, which the U.S. accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and senior officials of leading.
The Venezuelan government dismissed the designation, calling it a “ridiculous” attempt to label a “nonexistent” cartel as a terrorist group.
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