President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that all airspace above and around Venezuela will be fully closed. The announcement follows months of United States operations targeting drug-trafficking boats near Venezuela’s coastline.
In a Truth Social post, Trump addressed airlines, pilots, smugglers, and traffickers, saying:
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
The warning comes shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration alerted major airlines about a potentially dangerous situation when flying over Venezuela. The agency cited rising security risks and increased military activity within the country and its surrounding regions.
Following the advisory, Venezuela withdrew operating rights for six international airlines that had suspended flights due to the FAA guidance, according to CNBC.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of participating in drug trafficking, accusations he has rejected. Maduro claims Trump is attempting to remove him from power and insists that both the public and the Venezuelan military would resist such efforts.
United States forces in the region have primarily carried out counter-narcotics actions, although the scale of their deployment is larger than typical for such missions. Since September, US units have conducted at least twenty one strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats across the Caribbean and the Pacific. These operations have resulted in more than eighty deaths.
Earlier this month, Trump said he has largely decided how the United States will move forward on Venezuela policy after meeting with senior military advisers to discuss strategic options.
“I sort of made up my mind,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to The Hill. “I cannot tell you what it is, but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from coming in.”
Trump and top administration officials have intensified their criticism of Maduro, calling him an illegitimate ruler and accusing him of running a narcotics trafficking network. Maduro continues to deny all allegations.
Throughout the past week, Trump received detailed briefings from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other military leaders at the White House. Officials outlined potential United States responses toward Venezuela, including the possibility of land-based military strikes.
Additionally, since early September the administration has increased operations against what it identifies as drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. At least twenty boats have been destroyed and more than eighty people have been killed. Administration officials have referred to those individuals as “narco terrorists.”
The United States has also strengthened its military presence in the United States Southern Command area, deploying warships, Marines, fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, and other assets. Officials say these deployments are intended to combat drug trafficking and protect national security.
Hegseth recently announced the start of a new military and intelligence effort in the Western Hemisphere called “Operation Southern Spear.” According to The Hill, the initiative is designed to target and dismantle narcotics and criminal networks across the Southcom region.
In an interview on CBS “60 Minutes,” Trump hinted that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro may soon face consequences, saying that Maduro’s “days are numbered.”
Trump has previously discussed the idea of military action against Venezuela, although no such operation has been launched.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, told The Hill that Hegseth’s announcement reinforces the administration’s argument that these maritime strikes are related to counterterrorism efforts.
Last month, President Trump said that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had “offered absolutely everything” in a last-ditch effort to convince the United States to stop military actions targeting boats suspected of drug trafficking.
Trump made the sharp comment during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. He was responding to a question about reports claiming that Maduro attempted to reach out through unofficial communication channels to negotiate with Washington.