WASHINGTON – The U.S. military conducted a flight of two F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, marking one of the closest instances that American warplanes have approached Venezuelan airspace since the Trump administration began its regional pressure campaign. Flight tracking sites showed the jets spending more than 30 minutes over the Gulf, which stretches roughly 150 miles at its widest point. A U.S. defense official confirmed the mission as a “routine training flight” conducted in international airspace, emphasizing that the operation was not intended to be provocative. The official declined to confirm whether the aircraft was armed.
The flight follows earlier U.S. deployments of B-52 and B-1 bombers along the Venezuelan coast, though the F/A-18s came closer to the country’s territory than previous aircraft. The flights come amid the U.S. military’s largest buildup in the region in decades and an ongoing campaign targeting suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. President Donald Trump has hinted that land operations may follow, though no specific locations have been disclosed. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has criticized the U.S. operations, claiming their goal is to remove him from power.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration faces growing congressional scrutiny over the boat strike campaign, which has resulted in at least 87 deaths in 22 confirmed attacks since early September, including a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to a damaged vessel. Lawmakers have pressed for access to unedited strike footage, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional leaders he is still considering whether to release it. Hegseth briefed lawmakers alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other national security officials, while retiring Adm. Alvin Holsey spoke separately with top Senate Armed Services Committee members. The administration maintains that the strikes are necessary to counter drug trafficking and asserts the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with cartels. Public flight tracking data showed the F/A-18s as the most monitored flights on the platform during the operation. Venezuela’s claim that the Gulf falls within its national territory has long been disputed by U.S. legal authorities and the military.
