Trump Announces the “Total Closure” of Venezuelan Airspace
Trump Declares Venezuelan Airspace "Fully Closed" Amid Rising Tensions
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “completely closed,” escalating pressure on the Caracas regime and Venezuelan drug traffickers.
“To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human smugglers, please consider that the airspace above and around Venezuela is entirely closed,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
This decision comes following a significant ramp-up of U.S. military forces in the region in recent weeks, coinciding with Trump’s ongoing threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Last Thursday, Trump declared that the United States would soon initiate ground operations to apprehend alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers.
“In recent weeks, you have been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, many of whom are operating,” he told military personnel during a Thanksgiving call.
“We will also begin to apprehend them on the ground,” he added, asserting that “ground operations are easier, and this will begin very soon.”
The increased pressure on South American drug traffickers follows a series of U.S. airstrikes conducted in recent months against boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean.
