US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to airlines operating over Venezuela, saying the entire country's airspace should be considered "closed" due to heightened military activity in the region. The claim was made on Twitter by the president, who warned that he could soon begin targeting alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers on land.
The move comes as tensions between the US and Venezuela have escalated in recent weeks, with Trump vowing to take action against those involved in trafficking drugs into the country. The US has also designated a prominent cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, further straining relations with the Venezuelan government.
In response to Trump's claim, Venezuela's government said it "forcefully rejects" the assertion and considered it a "colonial threat" aimed at undermining the country's sovereignty. The Foreign Ministry described the declaration as a "hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act."
Despite Trump's warning, flight-tracking data suggests that several planes were still airborne above Venezuela on Saturday morning. Several airlines had previously rerouted flights away from the country's airspace amid heightened tensions.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has warned of increased military activity in the region, which has sparked concerns about the safety of commercial air travel. The Venezuelan government has also been taking steps to assert its control over its airspace, including stripping takeoff and landing rights from several commercial carriers accused of supporting counter-revolutionary activities.
The situation remains volatile, with the US and Venezuela locked in a diplomatic standoff that could have significant implications for regional stability and global security.
The move comes as tensions between the US and Venezuela have escalated in recent weeks, with Trump vowing to take action against those involved in trafficking drugs into the country. The US has also designated a prominent cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, further straining relations with the Venezuelan government.
In response to Trump's claim, Venezuela's government said it "forcefully rejects" the assertion and considered it a "colonial threat" aimed at undermining the country's sovereignty. The Foreign Ministry described the declaration as a "hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act."
Despite Trump's warning, flight-tracking data suggests that several planes were still airborne above Venezuela on Saturday morning. Several airlines had previously rerouted flights away from the country's airspace amid heightened tensions.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has warned of increased military activity in the region, which has sparked concerns about the safety of commercial air travel. The Venezuelan government has also been taking steps to assert its control over its airspace, including stripping takeoff and landing rights from several commercial carriers accused of supporting counter-revolutionary activities.
The situation remains volatile, with the US and Venezuela locked in a diplomatic standoff that could have significant implications for regional stability and global security.
️ I'm low-key surprised Trump is actually taking action on this one, but also kinda concerned about how it's gonna play out. The thing is, Venezuela's airspace has been a mess for years, with both sides accusing each other of interfering. Now, the US is saying they're going to close it off? It feels like a power play to me. But at the same time, I get why Trump wants to crack down on those alleged drug traffickers – it's a major issue in the country.
, like don't americans have better things to do than trying to shut down whole countries airspace? 
, and now trump's all like "i'm gonna target cartel guys on land", but what about the actual presidents of venezuela? don't they deserve some respect too? 
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. I'm not surprised, though - this guy's been known for being pretty unpredictable. But what really got me is how quickly airlines are responding to his claims... rerouting flights and all that 
. Remember when the US was all like "we're gonna keep an eye on you" and the Soviets were like "no way, we won't take that lying down"? It feels like we're back to those days with Trump saying his airline thingy... I mean, what's next? Is he gonna start making us trade in our iPhones for walkie-talkies or something? 
The Venezuelan government is right though, it does feel like a colonial threat and they should stand up for themselves. It's just weird how things come full circle, you know? 
. I mean, come on, Trump's just trying to flex his muscles, right? Like, he's the boss of everyone and everything now 
. Newsflash: airlines aren't exactly going to start flying blind just because he says so. And what's with all these "colonial threats" and "unilateral acts"? It sounds like Venezuela's just trying to stir up some drama 
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. The US and Venezuela are just trying to one-up each other, and the rest of us get caught in the crossfire. Can't we just focus on solving actual problems instead of making empty threats and playing politics? 
airlines are just gonna keep flying around it or get blocked out by Trump's "closed" airspace... what's next? A no-fly zone over the entire Caribbean? And good luck with targeting cartel members on land, sounds like a recipe for escalation. Venezuela's not exactly sitting on a mountain of cash to pay off US troops and equipment... this whole thing feels like a PR stunt to distract from Trump's own messes 
. The global security implications are huge, too - what if this sets off a chain reaction of tensions between countries? 
. We need some diplomacy in here, ASAP 
it's not even considered, airlines are already rerouting flights away from venezuela, that's enough right? 