US Military Conducts Closest Known Flight Near Venezuelan Airspace Amid Rising Tensions
The United States deployed two F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela, marking the closest known approach of U.S. military aircraft to Venezuelan airspace. This mission, described by a U.S. defense official as a 'routine training flight,' was conducted entirely within international airspace and aimed to demonstrate the aircraft's operational reach. The flight, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, follows a period of increased U.S. military activity in the region, including previous flights of B-52 and B-1 bombers along Venezuela's coastline. The heightened activity began after U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, which the Trump administration justified as necessary to combat illicit drug trafficking. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied these allegations. 
