Pentagon Condemns Venezuelan Flyover Near U.S. Navy Ship as ‘Highly Provocative’
The Pentagon confirmed late Thursday that two Venezuelan military jets flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy vessel operating in international waters, calling it a “highly provocative move” amid escalating tensions in the region.
The U.S. Department of Defense stated the flyover was an attempt to disrupt ongoing counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations.
“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with U.S. military operations,” the Pentagon said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The incident follows a recent U.S. military strike on a cartel-operated vessel off the coast of Venezuela, which officials say killed 11 members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang the U.S. now classifies as a terrorist organization.
The Biden administration had previously relied on surveillance and interdiction efforts in the fight against transnational criminal groups. However, this week’s strike signals a shift toward more direct military engagement.
According to Reuters, the U.S. has since deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to a military airfield in Puerto Rico as part of a broader campaign to deter cartel activity in the region.
While visiting Ecuador on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply criticized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, calling him an “indicted drug trafficker” and a “fugitive of American justice.”
“He was indicted by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York,” Rubio said. “There is no doubt Nicolás Maduro is a fugitive wanted by the United States.”
Rubio also announced that two additional criminal organizations would be designated as foreign terrorist entities and warned that the U.S. would take decisive military action when necessary.
“If we have to blow them up, that’s what we’ll do,” Rubio said, referencing efforts to dismantle cartel operations with the help of allied governments.
The latest military and diplomatic developments mark a sharp escalation in already tense U.S.-Venezuela relations. The Maduro regime, long accused of enabling drug trafficking and supporting criminal networks, faces increasing international isolation.
U.S. officials have made it clear that further attempts to interfere with American counter-terror or anti-narcotics operations could prompt a more forceful response.
