US Fighter Jets Patrol Gulf of Venezuela Amid Rising Tensions with Caracas.
Two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets flew near the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, marking the closest American warplanes have approached the country’s waters in years. Flight-tracking sites showed the jets circling over the narrow gulf for more than 30 minutes, drawing global attention.
A US defense official confirmed the flight was a routine training mission and remained in international airspace. While the US has previously deployed B-52 and B-1 bombers to the region, Tuesday’s mission brought fighter jets closer to Venezuelan territory than ever before.
The move comes amid an expanding US military presence in the region and a controversial campaign of lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, which has killed at least 87 people since September. Lawmakers are demanding unedited footage of the operations, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not decided whether to release the videos.
President Donald Trump has justified the strikes as part of the fight against cartels and hinted that land operations could follow, though he provided no details. In an interview with Politico, Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s “days are numbered” and refused to comment on the potential deployment of US ground forces.
The flights and Trump’s statements come amid growing US-Caracas tensions, as Washington maintains pressure on Maduro while monitoring regional security risks.
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