Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety”, but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Venezuela’s communications ministry, which handles all press inquiries for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Trump‘s post.
The U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean have been underway for months, along with a U.S. military buildup in the region, and Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
The President told military service members this week that the U.S. would “very soon” begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.
Last week, the U.S. aviation regulator warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the South American country.
Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warning.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking, a charge he has denied.
Maduro, in power since 2013, has said that Trump is seeking to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt.
U.S. forces in the region have so far focused on counter-narcotics operations, although the assembled firepower far outweighs anything needed for them.
They have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Lucia Mutikani in Washington and Idrees Ali; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Sergio Non and Alexander Smith)