Trump tells airlines to consider Venezuela’s airspace closed as US military buildup continues in region
President Donald Trump told airlines to consider Venezuela’s airspace closed, days after he vowed to take action on land “very soon.”
Following dozens of strikes against alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean that have killed more than 80 people since September, Trump suggested to military service members in a Thanksgiving Day phone call that the U.S. would soon take action “on land.”
On Saturday, he urged the clearing of the airspace near the South American country. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning.
Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration also warned airlines to “exercise caution” when flying over Venezuela “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity.”
Several airlines cancelled their flights as a result of the FAA’s warning.
Venezuela’s government criticised Mr Trump’s comments, describing them as a “colonialist threat” against the South American country’s sovereignty and incompatible with international law.
The U.S. president’s post “represents a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act, incompatible with the principles of international law,” the statement said.
It called on the international community to reject what it described as an immoral act of aggression.
Residents in Caracas called the decision unfair.
“I think it’s unfair because people need to travel to work, to do business, to see their family, and us Venezuelans aren’t at fault for these situations,” said Manuel Romero, a cooking assistant.
Carmen Castillo, a lawyer, said she worried that many people won’t be able to visit their families outside Venezuela for the holidays.
“We’re confined, here in Caracas, in Venezuela. Of course it affects us,” she said.
Last week, the White House was reportedly considering having U.S. military planes drop leaflets — containing details about the $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Nicolás Maduro — over Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, the Washington Post reported.
For months, the U.S. government has been building up a military presence in the region to curb what Trump administration officials call “narco-terrorists” and has also made it clear it wants to oust Maduro.
