Trump says airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Saturday said commercial airlines should consider Venezuelan airspace closed, increasing pressure on the country's leadership after weeks of escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas and the growing threat of a U.S. attack on the country.

While Trump does not have the legal authority to close another country's airspace, such a move is sometimes the first step before airstrikes. His announcement follows a massive buildup of US military forces in the region in recent weeks as Trump stepped up threats against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. And it will likely devastate the lives of Venezuelan citizens and the mountainous country's economy.

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“To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers, please consider the AIRSPACE OVER AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA COMPLETELY CLOSED,” Trump tweeted Truth Social early Saturday morning.

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The White House did not immediately respond to a request to explain why Trump warned planes not to fly over Venezuela.

There was no immediate comment from the Venezuelan government, which has ordered a massive troop mobilization in recent weeks in response to Trump's threats.

The Trump administration says Maduro and his top security officials are the leaders of a drug cartel that sends drugs into the United States. On Monday, the administration designated the so-called Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, possibly giving the Pentagon legal justification to strike Venezuelan government targets. But the group is neither a formal organization nor a cartel.

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U.S. military aircraft already patrol international airspace near Venezuela “almost constantly” as part of an expanded presence and counter-drug operations, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The official referred questions to the White House about whether those tactics were changing, including overflights of Venezuelan airspace.

The White House's threat to close airspace may be enough to prompt commercial airlines to stop flying over Venezuela, a country of 28 million people. In reality, enforcing a no-fly zone would require an extensive military campaign and the commitment of significant resources. Several commercial flights continued over Venezuela midday Saturday, hours after Trump's tweet.

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The Obama administration took part in the international coalition to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in 2011. But it came only after a UN Security Council resolution gave an international stamp of approval to efforts to curb the actions of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi amid concerns he was willing to engage in large-scale killings of civilians.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Cain have been in the Caribbean in recent days, ostensibly for a Thanksgiving visit to show support for deployed U.S. troops and for meetings with friendly governments as the Pentagon mulls expanding its military campaign.

Since early September, US troops have killed dozens of suspected drug smugglers in Latin American waters, and Trump has openly mused about opening a front on land. However, the administration has not released any evidence to show that the victims were actually members of cartels that the U.S. has designated as foreign terrorist organizations, or that the boats that were attacked were actually carrying drugs.

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Before Thanksgiving, Hegseth visited the Dominican Republic, and Kane traveled separately to Puerto Rico, where the military has significantly expanded its presence.

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During Hegseth's visit, the Dominican Republic agreed to the “temporary” use of its main airport and air base to refuel military aircraft. Separately on Friday, Kane traveled to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, home of the Joint Special Operations Command, which played a key role in the boat strikes and is likely to play a role in any extended campaign.

The U.S. has about 15,000 troops in the region, spread across about a dozen other warships in the Caribbean and support forces in Puerto Rico. It is the largest military buildup there in decades.

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Just over a week ago, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots to “exercise caution” when flying over Venezuelan airspace “due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity” in or around the country.

Caught between the threat of U.S. attack and a government they don't trust to provide accurate information, Venezuelans face uncertainty.

U.S. strikes in Venezuela could be focused on a range of targets, former U.S. and Venezuelan military and counter-narcotics experts and regional defense analysts say. They may attack Venezuelan military bases or facilities associated with Maduro and the country's leadership. But they can also focus on drug trafficking and production, targeting cocaine processing laboratories, clandestine airstrips or guerrilla camps.

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While Trump has tied his focus on Maduro in part to the drug trade within the United States, very little of Venezuela's drug production actually ends up at U.S. borders, current and former U.S. officials say. Most go to Europe or other Caribbean countries. The president also expressed dissatisfaction with Venezuela's role in the flow of migration to the United States.

Trump has been mixed on whether he plans to strike Venezuela, even as pressure on Maduro increases.

“If we can save lives, if we can do something the simple way, that's okay. And if we have to do it the hard way, that's fine too,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday.

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