(The Hill) — President Trump on Saturday said the airspace above Venezuela is now completely closed off as tensions escalate between the U.S. and South American country over alleged drug trafficking.
“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 post on Truth Social.
NewsNation partner The Hill reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for comment.
The FAA recently advised pilots to “exercise caution” near Venezuela’s airspace due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity” in and around the country.
On Thursday, Trump told military personnel that the U.S. will take action on land in Venezuela “very soon” as the administration works “to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many.”
“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he said at the time. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon. We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country.”
Under “Operation Southern Spear,” the administration has surveilled the Caribbean for ships moving narcotics toward U.S. shores. The Department of Defense has conducted a series of strikes on these boats, killing over 80 people since September.
The White House and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have defended the operation, noting that they do not rise to the level of “hostilities” that would require congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution (WPR).
The Trump administration has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being the head of the Cartel de los Soles — which the administration recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. officials have called Maduro Venezuela’s “illegitimate leader.”
A large military presence has accumulated in the region, with spy aircraft, F-35 fighter jets, warships and other assets amid the growing tensions. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, arrived in Latin American waters earlier this month. Trump has also authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations inside the South American nation.
In a potential attack, the administration has identified military-controlled airports and ports as possible targets, The Wall Street Journal reported in October.
Maduro has called for peace between the two countries, and most Americans say they do not want to see U.S. military action in Venezuela. A recent CBS News/YouGov poll showed that 70 percent of Americans oppose any military engagement.