Image Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images 
Airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela is now closed, US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against the country, citing its alleged involvement in the illicit drug trade, a charge Venezuela’s leadership has consistently denied.
Trump made the announcement in a caps-heavy post on Truth Social without elaborating how far the “surrounding” airspace spans beyond the South American country’s borders.
“To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers, please consider the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety,” the US president wrote.
Since early September, the US military has carried out over 20 strikes on small boats in international waters in the Caribbean and beyond, claiming the vessels are being used by drug smugglers. More than 80 people are believed to have been killed in the attacks, according to media reports.
In mid-November, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear against “narcoterrorists” in the region. The US military brought over a dozen warships and some 15,000 personnel into the region as part of the operation.
Trump has repeatedly accused Caracas of aiding “narcoterrorists,” alleging that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is personally leading a major drug trafficking organization. Recently, Washington also increased its bounty on Maduro to a massive $50 million.
Maduro has repeatedly denied allegations of being somehow involved in illicit narcotics trafficking, insisting the claims were merely part of Washington’s efforts to topple him.
The Venezuelan president has warned Washington against launching “a crazy war,” placing the country’s military on high alert and staging a series of exercises in response to the US military buildup in the region.
