PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Saturday said that commercial airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed, increasing pressure on the country’s leadership after weeks of escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas and the growing threat of a U.S. attack against the country.
Though Trump does not have the legal authority to close the airspace over another country, such a move is sometimes a first step ahead of airstrikes. His declaration follows a massive buildup of U.S. military forces in the region in recent weeks, as Trump has ramped up threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. And it is likely to disrupt the lives of Venezuelan citizens and the mountainous country’s economy.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Saturday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to explain why Trump was warning planes not to fly above Venezuela.
There was no immediate comment from the Venezuelan government, which in recent weeks has ordered a massive mobilization of troops in response to Trump’s threats.
The Trump administration has alleged that Maduro and his top security officials are the leaders of a drug cartel that is sending narcotics to the United States. The administration designated the so-called Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization on Monday, possibly giving the Pentagon a legal justification to launch strikes against Venezuelan government targets. But the group is neither a formal organization nor a cartel.
U.S. military aircraft are already “almost constantly” conducting patrols in the international airspace near Venezuela as part of the increased presence and counternarcotics operations, a U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The official referred questions about whether those tactics are changing, to include overflights of Venezuela’s airspace, to the White House.
A White House threat about airspace closure might be enough to prompt commercial airlines to halt flights over Venezuela, a nation of 28 million people. Actually enforcing a no-fly zone would require an extensive military campaign and a significant commitment of resources. A handful of commercial flights continued above Venezuela midday Saturday, hours after Trump’s post.The Obama administration took part in an international coalition to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in 2011. But that came only after a U.N. Security Council resolution gave an international stamp of approval to the effort to restrict the actions of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi amid fears he was poised to engage in the large-scale killing of civilians.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Dan Caine, were in the Caribbean in recent days — ostensibly for a Thanksgiving visit to show support for deployed U.S. troops but also for meetings with friendly governments as the Pentagon weighs expanding its military campaign.
Since early September, U.S. forces have killed dozens of alleged drug smugglers in the waters off Latin America, and Trump has mused openly about opening a front on land. The administration has not publicly disclosed any evidence, however, verifying that the victims were in fact members of the cartels that the U.S. has designated foreign terrorist organizations, or that the boats being targeted were indeed ferrying drugs.
Before Thanksgiving, Hegseth visited the Dominican Republic, while Caine traveled separately to Puerto Rico, where the military has significantly expanded its footprint.
During Hegseth’s visit, the Dominican Republic agreed to “temporary” use of its main airport and an air base for refueling military aircraft. Separately on Friday, Caine traveled to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, home of the Joint Special Operations Command, which has played a key role in executing the boat strikes and would probably have a role in any expanded campaign.
The U.S. has about 15,000 troops in the region spread across about a dozen other warshipsin the Caribbean and support forces in Puerto Rico. It’s the largest military buildup there in decades.
A little more than a week ago, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning for pilots “to exercise caution” when flying over Venezuelan airspace “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity” in or around the country.
Venezuelans, caught between the threat of a U.S. attack and a government they don’t trust to provide accurate information, have been left facing uncertainty.
U.S. strikes on Venezuela could focus on a range of targets, former U.S. and Venezuelan military and anti-narcotics officials and regional defense analysts say. They could attack Venezuelan military bases or targets connected to Maduro and the country’s leadership. But they could also focus tightly on drug trafficking and production by hitting cocaine refinery labs, clandestine airstrips or guerrilla camps.
Although Trump has linked his focus on Maduro in part to the drug trade inside the United States, very little of Venezuela’s drug production actually flows into U.S. borders, current and former U.S. officials say. Most goes to Europe or elsewhere in the Caribbean. The president has also complained about Venezuela’s role in the flow of migration into the United States.
Trump has been ambiguous about whether he plans to strike inside Venezuela, even as he has increased pressure on Maduro.
“If we can save lives, if you can do things the easy way, that’s fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that’s fine too,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday.
Copp reported from Washington and Bisset from London. Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
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