Two B-1 bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday morning, reportedly en route to Venezuela; however, US President Donald Trump dismissed the report, calling it “not accurate.”The bomber flight report, firstly published by the Wall Street Journal, came amid Washington’s military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region, leading to fears in Caracas that the ultimate aim is regime change.Data from the tracking website Flightradar24 indicated that a B-1B advanced toward the Venezuelan coast on Thursday afternoon before executing a U-turn and heading north, after which it vanished from view.When questioned during a White House event about reports of the US sending B-1Bs near Venezuela, Trump stated that “it’s false,” adding that the United States is “not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons.”This latest flight follows a week after US-based B-52 bombers circled off Venezuela’s coast for several hours.The US military described that mission as a demonstration of Washington’s commitment “to proactively deter adversary threats, enhance crew training, and ensure the global force readiness necessary to respond to any contingency or challenge.”As part of its counter-narcotics efforts, the United States has deployed stealth warplanes and Navy ships but has yet to provide evidence that its targets—eight boats and a semi-submersible—were involved in drug smuggling.The US strikes, which commenced on September 2, have resulted in the deaths of at least 37 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures.Regional tensions have escalated due to the campaign, with Venezuela accusing the United States of attempting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who stated on Wednesday that his country possesses 5,000 Russian man-portable surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces.
