Tensions Rise as Venezuelan Jets Fly Over U.S. Navy Ship, Pentagon Calls Move ‘Provocative’
The Navy dispatched at least eight ships to the Caribbean Sea last month to counter drug smugglers. DVIDS/AFP via Getty Images
A U.S. Navy vessel conducting counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea was approached by two Venezuelan military aircraft on Thursday, in what the Pentagon labeled a “highly provocative” maneuver.
The incident occurred just two days after U.S. forces targeted a drug-smuggling vessel linked to the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua crime syndicate, resulting in the deaths of 11 alleged narco-terrorists.
“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters,” the Department of Defense said in a statement. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”
The Pentagon warned Venezuelan leadership against further interference. “The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military,” the statement added.
According to CBS News, the aircraft involved were believed to be armed F-16 fighter jets. The vessel targeted was identified as the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis-class guided-missile destroyer.
The Pentagon has not yet responded to additional requests for comment.
The U.S. Navy recently deployed eight ships to the region—including three guided-missile destroyers—as part of an expanded effort to combat drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration officially designated Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. officials have accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of collaborating with these groups to traffic fentanyl-laced narcotics into the United States.
In August, the Justice Department announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, citing his alleged role in international drug trafficking. “He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi at the time.
In response to the U.S. military presence in the region, Maduro earlier this week called the naval buildup “the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years,” and accused the U.S. of seeking regime change in Venezuela.
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