Venezuela Rejects Trump's Warning to Close Its Airspace
The US leader, who labels Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a drug cartel chief, escalated his rhetoric against "narcoterrorists" over the weekend. Writing on Truth Social Saturday, Trump declared: "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY."
The statement follows Washington's military deployment off Venezuela's coastline and operations targeting suspected cartel vessels in international maritime zones.
Venezuela's Foreign Ministry released a formal rebuke of "the colonialist threat aimed at undermining the sovereignty of its airspace."
The ministry's statement added: "This type of declaration constitutes a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most fundamental principles of international law."
Trump has declined to dismiss the possibility of armed intervention on Venezuelan soil, suggesting during a Thanksgiving address to military personnel that strikes might be imminent.
Maduro has rejected accusations of cartel connections and cautioned Washington against launching "a crazy war" in the area. He has previously ordered military forces into heightened readiness and conducted multiple defense exercises.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has alerted carriers about a "potentially hazardous situation" regarding flights over Venezuela. In response, Caracas has grounded operations for six international airlines.
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