US President Donald Trump announced the closure of airspace over Venezuela. The information was published on his profile on the social network Truth Social.
„All airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and people, please consider the airspace over and around Venezuela completely closed“, the American leader wrote.
Washington accuses Venezuelan authorities of not doing enough to combat drug smuggling. The US Navy has deployed a strike group of ships led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear submarine and more than 16,000 military personnel to the Caribbean Sea. Since September, US forces have sunk at least 20 motorboats in the region, killing more than 80 people.
US media have repeatedly reported that the United States could soon begin strikes on the Bolivarian Republic. On Thursday, Trump said that Washington would "very soon" begin ground operations to combat drug trafficking from Venezuela, but did not provide details about possible military operations.