Trump warns airlines that Venezuelan airspace is ‘closed’ as airstrike threat rises

The transfer of US fighter aircraft to the Caribbean is linked to the increasing tensions between the United States and Venezuela. Photo / Getty Images

Donald Trump has told all airlines to consider the skies above and surrounding Venezuela closed, as the threat of United States airstrikes intensifies.

The US President declared Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety” in an early morning post on social media, two days after suggesting he would launch military strikes on the country to stop drug-traffickers.

The US does not have the authority to close another country’s airspace, but the threat is likely to panic airlines, cause travel uncertainty in Venezuela, and worry Nicolas Maduro, its leader, whom the Trump Administration has labelled a “narco-terrorist”.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning (local time) from Palm Beach, Florida.

It is unclear whether Trump’s statement is a ruse to foment domestic unrest in Venezuela or a genuine precursor to launching airstrikes.

Despite the President’s declaration, US authorities have not banned American aircraft from entering Venezuelan airspace and flights were still going ahead.

In the most recent security notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines were advised to “exercise caution” in the region given “the worsening security situation and heightened military activity”.

“Threats pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes,” it added in the announcement, dated November 21.

Since September, the Trump Administration has been massing the most significant US military force in the southern Caribbean region for generations, while conducting deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in international waters.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the nation’s largest warship, together with its strike force of dozens of aircraft and destroyers, arrived in the Caribbean this month in a display of American military force.

Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, has said the build-up is part of “Operation Southern Spear”, tackling drug-smuggling in the region.

The US campaign against alleged “narco-boats” it claims are smuggling drugs to American shores has claimed at least 82 lives since it began on September 2.

Trump has claimed sweeping wartime powers to destroy the vessels, controversially alleging that the US is in an “armed conflict” with the cartels because each boat carries enough drugs to kill 25,000 Americans.

On Thursday local time, he signalled he would further escalate his campaign against drug smugglers when he announced plans to launch operations on land “very soon”.

In his Thanksgiving remarks to US troops around the world, the President thanked the US Air Force for deterring “Venezuelan drug-traffickers”, claiming smuggling was down by 85% at sea.

“We’ll be starting to stop them by land,” he added, apparently referring to strikes on Venezuelan soil.

Maduro, who has clung to power since 2013 despite a widely disputed election last year, has argued that Trump is plotting to oust him, and has called on Venezuelans and the military to resist any such attempt.

The US claims he is head of the Cartel de los Soles, using Venezuela’s state apparatus to smuggle drugs to American soil, and in August doubled the bounty on his head to US$50m.

Former regime officials told the Telegraph last week that Maduro fears for his life, believing he will be killed either in a US strike or during a coup orchestrated from within his inner circle.

However, Trump has also signalled he is open to a diplomatic resolution with the Venezuelan leader, and the two men reportedly spoke this week about arranging a meeting.

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