Venezuela has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump after he declared on Truth Social that airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers should consider the airspace above and around Venezuela “closed in its entirety”.
Caracas called the statement “extravagant, illegal and unjustified”, stressing that the US has no legal authority to close another sovereign nation’s airspace. Venezuela accused Trump of issuing a “colonialist threat” amid growing tensions over the large US military buildup offshore.
The US has deployed 15,000 troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and has conducted at least 21 strikes on boats it claims were transporting drugs, killing more than 80 people — without presenting evidence.
Trump’s comments have sparked outrage in Congress, with both Democrats and Republicans warning that he has no authority to take military action without congressional approval.
The escalation follows an FAA warning of “heightened military activity”, which led major airlines to suspend flights and prompted Venezuela to revoke their landing rights. Caracas has urged the UN and other governments to condemn what it calls an “immoral act of aggression”.
Venezuela’s armed forces conducted coastal military exercises on Saturday as tensions continue to rise.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
