Trump escalates pressure: US jets hover near Maduro’s doorstep

On December 9, U.S. military fighter jets conducted a flight over the Gulf of Venezuela, marking what appears to be the closest American aircraft have approached Venezuelan airspace since the Trump administration began its intensified pressure campaign.

According to the Associated Press, public flight tracking sites recorded two U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets spending more than 30 minutes flying over the Gulf, a body of water bordered by Venezuela and measuring roughly 150 miles at its widest point. 

A U.S. defence official confirmed that the aircraft were on a “routine training flight” in the area.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of military operations, the official did not specify whether the jets were armed, but emphasised that they remained in international airspace throughout the flight. The official described the mission as similar to previous exercises intended to demonstrate the reach of U.S. aircraft, stressing that the operation was not meant to be provocative.

While the U.S. military has previously deployed B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers to the region, those planes flew along the Venezuelan coast, and there is no indication they ever approached Venezuelan territory as closely as Tuesday’s F/A-18 flight.

The flights are part of a broader U.S. military buildup in the region—the largest in decades—which has included a series of lethal strikes on boats alleged to be involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. President Donald Trump has warned that land operations may follow, though he has not provided details on timing or location.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of using these operations to force him from power.

The Trump administration is facing growing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over the maritime strike campaign, which has killed at least 87 people in 22 confirmed attacks since early September. In one particularly controversial case, a follow-up strike killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the initial strike.

Lawmakers are requesting unedited video footage from the attacks, though Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional leaders on December 9 that he is still considering whether to release it. Hegseth, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior national security officials, provided a classified briefing to congressional leaders.

Trump has defended the strikes as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States, asserting that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 reported that the F/A-18s were the most monitored flights on its site at the time.

Venezuela maintains that the Gulf is part of its national territory, though U.S. legal experts and military authorities have disputed those claims for decades.

By Tamilla Hasanova