Two Venezuelan military aircraft fly over US naval vessel as tensions rise

Days earlier, the US had struck a purported drug-smuggling vessel it said was headed from Venezuela, killing all 11 people aboard in a strike that drew criticism at home and abroad

By Courtney McBride

 

Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over an American naval vessel in international waters off the coast, according to the Pentagon, a fresh escalation between the two adversaries after the US struck a speedboat purportedly carrying drugs from the country. 

“This highly provocative maneuver was designed to interfere with our counter-narcotics operations,” the Pentagon said. It said the “cartel” running Venezuela is “strongly advised” not to interfere with any other operations by the US.

 

The Pentagon didn’t immediately offer any further information such as how close the jets got to the US ship or where exactly the US vessel was located when the incident occurred. The Venezuelan Information Ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. CBS News said the planes were armed F-16 fighter jets. 

 

Days earlier, the US had struck a purported drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea it said was headed from Venezuela, killing all 11 people aboard in a strike that drew criticism at home and abroad over the apparent killing of civilians. The US has sent several ships carrying some 4,000 sailors and Marines to the Caribbean in what officials have described as an effort to crack down on narco-trafficking.

 

The moves have prompted speculation that President Donald Trump — who has vowed not to involve the US in more foreign entanglements — may be seeking to push President Nicolas Maduro from power. Earlier Thursday, Maduro went on state television and called on all military reservists and more than 10 million militia members to mobilise to their local communal offices. 

 

The fly-by came the same day that Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Ecuador on a trip aimed at rallying support for the US pressure campaign. Rubio has said the US was prepared for more such strikes against Venezuela and signaled that the US was willing to take even more aggressive action. 

 

“We’re going to continue to hunt for, like we always have, but this time we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers or their little fast boats and say let’s try to arrest them,” Rubio told reporters at a briefing. “The president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.”

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rubio have defended the US strike and warned that more could follow, saying the US government aimed to send a message to drug traffickers.