The US recently deployed a large naval and air force not far from the South American country
The US military is authorized to shoot down Venezuelan aircraft if commanders judge them a threat, President Donald Trump has said. His warning followed reports that Venezuelan aircraft had buzzed American warships taking part in what Washington describes as an anti-drug mission near the South American country.
Asked by reporters on Friday what the US would do if Venezuelan jets fly near US naval vessels again, Trump warned that “they’re going to be in trouble.” “If they do put us in a dangerous position, we’ll shoot them down,” he stressed.
Trump rejected claims by Caracas that Washington was seeking to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro. “Well, we’re not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election,” he said.
He instead framed the US military presence near Venezuela as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking. “Billions of dollars of drugs are pouring into our country from Venezuela. The prisons of Venezuela have been opened up to our country,” Trump said, adding that US forces would target boats suspected of carrying narcotics.
In recent weeks, the US deployed at least eight warships and an attack submarine in the Caribbean, while sending ten F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico to deter further Venezuelan flyovers. Earlier this week, the US struck a boat it claimed was linked to a drug operation, killing 11 people.
As tensions with the US soared, Maduro warned that his country would move to a stage of “armed struggle” if it were attacked.
Relations between the United States and Venezuela have been tense for years. Washington refused to recognize Maduro’s reelection in 2018, instead backing the country’s opposition. Successive US administrations have imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector and financial system.
In August, the US announced a reward of $50 million for any information leading to Maduro’s arrest, whom it labeled “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”
The Venezuelan president rejected the allegation, saying his country is “free from coca leaf production [and]cocaine,” and is fighting against drug trafficking.
