US Navy Flies 2 Fighter Jets Over Gulf of Venezuela As Trump Hardens Campaign Against Maduro

New Delhi: The US military on Tuesday flew a pair of Navy F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela, the Associated Press reported. This exercise might be the closest the United States have come to Venezuela's airspace since President Donald Trump launched his pressure campaign against the country's president Nicolas Maduro, the report further indicated.

According to some public flight-tracking websites the jets circled over the narrow gulf for more than 30 minutes. Speaking to the Associated Press, a US defense official said that the aircraft were on a routine training flight and they remained in international airspace. He stressed that the exercise was not meant to be provocative.

The US has earlier sent B-52 and B-1 bombers to the region. However, those aircraft stayed farther offshore. The latest move comes as the US continues to build its largest regional military presence in decades and continues its strikes on drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Earlier in September, at least 87 people were killed in 22 strikes, including two survivors hit by a follow-up strike. On Tuesday, as lawmakers demanded unedited footage of the boat attacks, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had not yet decided whether to release them.

Defending his recent military actions, Trump said that they are essential to combating cartels and that US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug traffickers. He even warned that land attacks are coming soon.

According to Flightradar24, the F/A-18s were the most-tracked aircraft on its platform on Tuesday as several users logged in to watch the jets fly in real time. While Venezuela has claimed that gulf is part of its national territory, US legal scholars and the military have challenged them for decades.

Trump Hardens Stance On Venezuela

Meanwhile, in an interview with Politico, Donald Trump said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s “days are numbered”. When he was asked whether the US could deploy forces, Trump said, “I don’t comment on that I wouldn’t say that one way or the other.” When asked how far he was willing to go to remove Maduro, Trump said, “I don’t want to say that.” However, when pushed harder, he said, “His days are numbered.” (With AP inputs)

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