US President Donald Trump sharply escalated tensions with Venezuela on Saturday, issuing an ominous warning that the country’s airspace should be considered “closed”, a declaration that has fuelled fears of imminent military action.
Caracas, already alarmed by a major US military buildup in the Caribbean that it views as a campaign to force President Nicolas Maduro from power, condemned Trump’s remarks as a “colonialist threat.”
“To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers,” Trump wrote on social media, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Though he offered no further details, the post follows months of deadly US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, heightening speculation that Washington may be preparing a direct operation on Venezuelan territory.
The warning came just days after US aviation regulators advised airlines to exercise heightened caution near Venezuela due to rising tensions, prompting several major carriers to suspend flights. In response, Maduro’s government banned the airlines, accusing them of “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States.”
Venezuela’s foreign ministry condemned Trump’s latest statement as “a new extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela.” It also warned that the disruptions would halt repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants, an initiative championed by the Trump administration.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s military staged coastal exercises, with state television showing anti-aircraft systems and heavy artillery being deployed.
– ‘By land’ –
Although Trump has not explicitly threatened to use force to oust Maduro, he said this week that efforts to counter Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would begin “very soon.”
Maduro’s re-election last year was widely dismissed internationally as fraudulent, while Washington accuses the Venezuelan leader of heading a terrorist-designated drug cartel.
US military activity in the region has intensified, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier deployed to the Caribbean and American fighter jets and bombers repeatedly flying near Venezuelan airspace.
Despite the escalating rhetoric, US media revealed that Trump and Maduro held a phone conversation last week. The New York Times reported Friday that the two discussed a possible meeting, while The Wall Street Journal said the call also touched on potential amnesty terms if Maduro were to step down.
Amid mounting fears of military intervention, lawmakers from both parties have criticized Trump for acting without congressional authorization.
“President Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer posted on X. “Under our Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war.”
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed the sentiment: “Reminder, Congress has the sole power to declare war.”
– Congress divided –
But some Republicans defended Trump. Senator Lindsey Graham praised the president’s “strong commitment to end this madness in Venezuela,” adding in a jab at Maduro: “I hear Turkey and Iran are lovely this time of year…”
Trump is also facing congressional scrutiny following media reports that the US military launched a second missile at survivors of a September strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel. Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have announced separate investigations, with legal experts suggesting the incident could constitute a war crime.
Despite the controversy, Republican control of both chambers has limited broader oversight of the administration’s aggressive anti-trafficking campaign.
Since the operation began in September, at least 83 people have been killed in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Washington has yet to provide evidence that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking or posed any threat to the United States, prompting experts to warn that the strikes may amount to extrajudicial killings—even if aimed at suspected traffickers.
