US deploys fighter jets to Gulf of Venezuela in closest known approach yet, amid rising tension

The U.S. deployed 2 combatant jets implicit the Gulf of Venezuela Tuesday, marking what appeared to beryllium the closest known attack of subject craft to Venezuelan airspace to date, according to reports.

The F/A-18 jets were observed connected Flightradar24 flying for astir 30 minutes implicit the waters northbound of Venezuela, the Associated Press reported.

A U.S. defence official, speaking connected information of anonymity, described the abbreviated ngo arsenic a "routine grooming flight" designed to show the aircraft's operational reach.

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U.S. F/A-18 combatant jets flew implicit the Gulf of Venezuela successful the closest known attack to Venezuelan airspace, conducting what officials called regular training. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The authoritative besides did not disclose whether the jets were equipped but did stress that the cognition remained wholly wrong planetary airspace.

Tuesday's dual formation follows months of heightened U.S. subject enactment successful the region.

Although the U.S. has antecedently flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers on Venezuela’s coastline, those craft did not look to attack arsenic intimately arsenic Tuesday’s F/A-18s.

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The U.S. subject deployed F/A-18 jets adjacent Venezuelan airspace successful what defence officials described arsenic regular grooming to show operational reach. (Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The summation successful enactment successful the portion archetypal began aft U.S. strikes connected alleged drug-smuggling vessels successful some the Caribbean Sea and the eastbound Pacific.

The archetypal reported U.S. subject onslaught connected a vas that allegedly departed from Venezuela carrying drugs was successful September.

The Trump medication said the operations were indispensable to curbing illicit cause trafficking, though Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues to contradict this.

Tensions surrounding Venezuelan airspace escalated successful November aft President Trump instructed airlines to dainty the portion arsenic efficaciously closed, aligning with FAA warnings to civilian carriers.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a ceremonial sword said to person belonged to independency leader Simon Bolivar during a government-organized civic-military march successful Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, elder manager astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center connected Cyber and Technology Innovation antecedently told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s astir important subject menace stems from its ain air-naval systems.

Isaias Medina, an planetary lawyer and erstwhile Venezuelan diplomat besides said Venezuela's ain military’s capabilities look amended connected insubstantial than successful reality.

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He said that included combatant jets, constricted aboveground vessels, and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles.

"Reasonably speaking, successful the archetypal time oregon 2 of a run plan, we tin destruct the aerial and maritime menace to U.S. forces," Montgomery said.