Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela is to be closed in its entirety.
Trump, in a Truth Social post said: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Venezuela’s communications ministry, which handles all press inquiries for the government, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Trump’s post.
The US defense department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean have been under way for months, along with a US military buildup in the region, and Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
The president told military service members this week that the US would “very soon” begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.
Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the South American country.
Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country after the FAA warning.
The Trump administration has accused the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, of involvement in drug trafficking, a charge he has denied.
Maduro, in power since 2013, has said that Trump is seeking to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt.
US forces in the region have so far focused on counter-narcotics operations, although the assembled firepower far outweighs anything needed for them.
They have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people.
