Venezuelan aircraft fly near US navy vessel in “provocative” move, Pentagon says

Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew close to a US Navy vessel operating in international waters on September 4, an action the Pentagon condemned as “highly provocative.”

“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement on X, Caliber.Az reports per CNN. 

pic.twitter.com/PSxm3uRsfM

— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) September 5, 2025

“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 statement continued.

The incident comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. In recent weeks, the US military has ordered the deployment of more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of expanded operations against drug cartels, many of which the Trump administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has sharply criticised the US military buildup, responding with troop deployments and calls for civilians to join the Bolivarian Militia. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has raised the bounty for Maduro to $50 million on drug trafficking charges.

The standoff follows a US military strike earlier this week against a suspected drug vessel linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. President Donald Trump confirmed that 11 people were killed in the attack, which he said occurred in “international waters.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the strike took place in the Southern Caribbean and that the targeted vessel had departed from Venezuela.

By Sabina Mammadli