President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered closed—an escalation that signals a long-threatened strike on Venezuelan territory may be approaching.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The warning comes as Trump continues to threaten military action against Venezuela and as his administration carries out strikes on drug-smuggling vessels off the country’s coast. According to Axios, 21 U.S. strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean have killed at least 83 people so far. On Thanksgiving, Trump told service members that strikes on land would begin “very soon.”
“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump said. “You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
“We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country,” he added.
Trump has previously labeled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as head of the Cartel de Los Soles. According to a notice published November 16 in the Federal Register, the State Department has designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
Administration officials maintain that their primary goal is to deter drug smuggling, though they have also made clear their desire to see Maduro removed from power. The New York Times reported that Trump recently spoke with Maduro by phone to discuss a potential meeting.
On Friday, Trump commented on elections in Honduras, endorsing National Party candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura over rivals aligned with Maduro.
“Will Maduro and his Narcoterrorists take over another country like they have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela?” Trump wrote. “The man who is standing up for Democracy, and fighting against Maduro, is Tito Asfura, the Presidential Candidate of the National Party.”
