Days after the US defence forces struck a boat linked to drug trafficking, two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters on Thursday (Sept 4), according to the US Department of Defense.
The US has condemned the move and described the action as a “show of force” by Venezuela.
The USS Jason Dunham that was threatened by two armed F-16 fighter jets is an Aegis guided-missile destroyer. It was recently dispatched to the region to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.
The were no reports of any retaliation from the US warship.
“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military,” the Pentagon said in a post on X after the incident.
Trump-Maduro rift and alleged drug cartel nexus
The warship was sent to the waters off Venezuela as part of Trump’s initiative to crack down on drug cartels. The move has led to rising tension between Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has claimed a nexus between Maduro and drug cartels to traffic narcotics to the United States. In fact the US has doubled the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
The Venezuelan government has, however, denied any links with the drug cartels.
Earlier this week, when the US sent its warships to the waters off Venezuela, Maduro called the move a “criminal and bloody threat”