Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the complete closure of airspace over Venezuela and surrounding areas. This came two days after he hinted that “ground operations” in the South American country would begin “very soon,” as part of what he described as new measures against drug trafficking networks.
Trump posted his announcement via his favorite platform, Truth Social, saying: “To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers, please consider the airspace over and around Venezuela completely closed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Background to the announcement: Threat of ground operations
This escalating air closure comes after the US president hinted last Thursday that the United States was prepared to take ground military action against Venezuelan drug trafficking networks.
In a Thanksgiving Day phone call with military personnel, Trump confirmed that ground operations would begin “very soon.” He added, “In recent weeks, you have been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers. There are many of them, of course, and not many are coming by sea anymore.”
The US president noted that maritime operations had deterred smugglers, but stressed the need to continue these efforts. He said, “You may have noticed that people don’t want to deliver goods by sea, and we’re going to start stopping them by land as well.” He added, “The situation in Venezuela is easier, but that will begin very soon.” He then asserted, “We warned them: Stop sending poison to our country.”
The decision to close the airspace is considered a major escalation that adds to the ongoing US pressure on Venezuela and its regime.
