US President, Donald Trump, said on Saturday that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be treated as closed, a statement that comes amid intensifying pressure from Washington 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 wrote in a Truth Social post.
According to Reuters, Venezuela’s communications ministry, responsible for government press responses, did not immediately comment on the statement, and the U.S. Defense Department also did not respond to inquiries.
U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean have been ongoing for months alongside a military buildup in the region, and Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
He told U.S service members last week that land operations aimed at stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon.”
The U.S aviation regulator, last week, warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela, citing a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the country.
In response, Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights after the FAA alert.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking, a claim the Venezuelan leader has denied.
-Reuters