Trump says airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered closed

President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a news conference at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed reelection. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

WASHINGTON-- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” but gave no further details, stirring anxiety and confusion in Caracas as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

U.S. officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump’s announcement and unaware of any ongoing U.S. military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation.

In a statement Saturday afternoon, Venezuela’s government condemned Trump’s comments, describing them as a “colonialist threat” against the country’s sovereignty and incompatible with international law.

Massive military buildup in Caribbean

David Deptula, a retired lieutenant general who commanded a no-fly zone over northern Iraq in 1998 and 1999, said Trump’s announcement raises more questions than it answers. Imposing a no-fly zone over Venezuela could require significant resources and planning, depending on the goals of the airspace closure, he said.

“The devil’s in the details,” Deptula said.

The Trump administration has been weighing Venezuela-related options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. The socialist Venezuelan president has denied having any links to the illegal drug trade.

Reuters has reported that options under U.S. consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro, and that the U.S. military is poised for a new phase of operations after a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela’s coast. Trump has also authorized covert CIA operations in the South American country.

Maduro, in power since 2013, has contended that Trump is seeking to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt.

Trump told military service members earlier this week that the U.S. would “very soon” begin land operations to stop suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers.

Caracas residents who spoke to Reuters criticized Trump’s announcement.

“I think it’s unfair because people need to travel to work, to do business, to see their family, and us Venezuelans aren’t at fault for these situations,” said Manuel Romero, who works as a cooking assistant.

Carmen Castillo, a lawyer, said she worried that many people who would have travelled to visit their families outside Venezuela for the holidays now won’t be able to do so.

“We’re confined, here in Caracas, in Venezuela, of course it affects us,” she said.

Maduro and high-ranking officials in his government, some combination of whom appear almost daily on state television, have decried U.S. imperialism in their recent comments, but do not single out Trump by name, as the Venezuelan government may be trying to de-escalate tensions, according to security and diplomatic sources. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously been the focus of Venezuelan government ire, but even references to him have decreased in recent weeks.

The U.S. boat bombings have led to stepped-up surveillance by authorities in the remote northeastern state of Sucre, with increased patrols by security agencies and ruling-party supporters stoking fear among locals, four residents and one recent visitor said.

GPS signals in Venezuela have also been affected in recent weeks amid the U.S. buildup.

Trump’s announcement on Venezuela’s airspace followed a warning last week from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that major airlines faced a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the country.

Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country after the FAA warning.

Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Lucia Mutikani in Washington and Idrees Ali; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Sergio Non and Alexander Smith