Venezuela defence minister on Thursday accused the United States of threatening its national security after at least five American combat planes approached its coastline. In a televised address, defence minister Vladimir Padrino said the country’s air defenses and the tracking systems of its largest airport “detected more than five… combat aircraft” which had “dared to approach the Venezuelan coast.” He called the incident “a great threat” and added, “I am denouncing this military harassment in front of the world.” The accusations come amid heightened tensions between the two nations following a spate of deadly US strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats in the Southern Caribbean to carry out anti-narcotics strikes. President Donald Trump last month dispatched 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, marking the largest military deployment in the Caribbean in over three decades. Additionally, the US sent eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region, citing a plan to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, has expressed readiness to declare a state of emergency over what he described as the threat of US “aggression.” In recent weeks, US forces have reportedly destroyed at least three suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, killing 14 people. The UN has condemned the strikes, describing them as “extrajudicial executions.” The Venezuelan government has repeatedly framed these military actions as direct threats to national sovereignty, accusing Washington of harassment and intimidation in the region.
