US President Donald Trump yesterday said the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas 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.
US officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump’s announcement and unaware of any ongoing US military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation.
In a statement later, Venezuela’s government condemned Trump’s comments, describing them as a ‘colonialist threat’ against the country’s sovereignty and incompatible with international law.
David Deptula, a retired lieutenant general who commanded a no-fly zone over northern Iraq in 1998 and 1999, said Trump’s announcement raises more questions than it answers. Imposing a no-fly zone over Venezuela could require significant resources and planning, depending on the goals of the airspace closure, he said.
“The devil’s in the details,” Deptula said.
The Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. The socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.
Reuters has reported that options under US consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro, and that the US military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela’s coast. Trump has also authorised covert CIA operations in the South American country.
Maduro, in power since 2013, has contended that Trump is seeking to remove him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt. Trump told military service members earlier this week that the US would ‘very soon’ begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.
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