President Donald Trump has officially ordered the closure of the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela amidst escalating fears of potential conflict. In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump issued a directive for all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers to acknowledge the complete closure of the airspace in the specified region.
Initial observations indicate a significant impact from the airspace closure, as there has been a notable absence of aircraft flying over Venezuela, with no flights reported over Caracas as of 12:15 pm local time. Venezuela has yet to respond to this directive.
Concerns are mounting that Trump may leverage the US military presence in the area, which includes thousands of troops, a nuclear submarine, and a fleet of warships accompanying the USS Gerald R Ford, to potentially launch an offensive against Venezuela with the aim of removing President Nicolas Maduro from power.
This latest development follows a previous warning issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to major airlines regarding the risks of flying over Venezuela due to a deteriorating security situation and increased military activity in the region.
Venezuela’s civil aviation authority recently announced the revocation of flight permits for several international airlines, including Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Chile’s LATAM, Brazil’s Gol, and Turkish Airlines. The authority attributed this decision to the airlines’ alleged support of what they termed as “state terrorism” instigated by the US government.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have been exacerbated by the US military buildup off the South American coast and a series of military strikes targeting vessels in international waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in the deaths of at least 83 individuals.
While the US claims that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, critics, including Latin American leaders, legal experts, and victims’ families, as well as some members of the US Congress, have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings, asserting that most of those killed were fishermen.
Accusations of drug trafficking have been exchanged between the US and Maduro, with the Venezuelan president accusing the US government of orchestrating a fabricated campaign against him.
Maduro has previously accused the US of escalating its propaganda efforts to justify potential intervention in Venezuela.