Venezuela in the Crosshairs:

Venezuela in the Crosshairs: Trump Closes Country’s Airspace ‘In Its Entirety,’ Strikes on Land Will Be Starting ‘Very Soon’

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

President Trump warned Saturday morning that all airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered closed. The announcement was seen by many as a warning shot across Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s bow that his country could soon be struck by the US in its ongoing battle against deadly imported drugs and an alleged reimplementation of the Monroe Doctrine.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The FAA has urged pilots to “exercise caution” near Venezuelan 

airspace, citing a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity.”

The announcement follows weeks of military buildup in Latin American waters. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, now patrols the region alongside F-35 fighter jets, spy aircraft, and warships. Now, air, land, and sea could be in play as the possibility of conflict looms.

From the Daily Mail:

The new wave of deployments began in August with the arrival of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. In October, the US announced that the 1106ft USS Gerald R Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, would also join the mission.

The carrier reached Caribbean waters on November 11 with more than four thousand sailors, fighter jets, and support vessels, including the USS Thomas Hudner, USS Rampage, and USS Normandy.

The Ford brings with it F-35C stealth fighters, considered the world’s most advanced fighter to operate from a carrier deck.

Additionally, there are 10 U.S. Marine Corps F-35s stationed in Puerto Rico, along with AV-8 Harrier jump jets and AH-1 attack helicopters.

Some of the warships come equipped with extremely powerful surveillance radars capable of detecting surface and aerial targets. They also have long-range missiles that can strike deep into Venezuela.

Roughly two thousand US troops were already in the region before the reinforcements arrived.

“Troops have been amassing in Puerto Rico, some 500 miles from the South American country, with Gen. Dan Caine, Trump’s military adviser, visiting the area on Monday,” the Daily Mail reports.

An estimated total of 21 US strikes against drug boats have occurred in the Caribbean under “Operation Southern Spear,” with a death toll of 83 people, according to the Daily Wire.

The President told service members on Thanksgiving that strikes on land will be starting “very soon.”

“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump noted.

“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” the President added. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”

“We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country,” Trump said.

Trump has branded Maduro as a terrorist and the leader of the Cartel de Los Soles. He also has a bounty on his head.

The cartel has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department, according to a notice published on November 16 in the Federal Register.

It “is a decentralized network of government and military officials in Venezuela who engage in drug trafficking,” according to Breitbart.

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