US President Donald Trump has escalated his threats against Venezuela with an ominous warning that the country’s airspace should be considered closed, raising fears of imminent military action.
He did not elaborate, but after months of deadly US strikes on alleged drug-running boats, speculation is mounting that Washington may launch some sort of military operation on Venezuelan soil.
Trump’s warning came days after US aviation regulators told airlines to use increased caution near Venezuela over the mounting tensions, prompting multiple major carriers to suspend flights.
Caracas, which views a large US military buildup in the Caribbean as a pressure campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, slammed Trump’s warning as a colonialist threat.
Maduro’s government then issued a ban on the airlines for joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government.
A statement by the Venezuelan foreign ministry called the US president’s latest remarks a new extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela.
It warned that the airspace disruptions would also mean a halt to repatriation flights of Venezuelan migrants from the United States, a key Trump administration initiative.
News edited by Favour Owonibi