A set of Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters Thursday, two days after the U.S. said it struck a Venezuelan drug vessel, according to a Defense Department statement posted to X.
Two Venezuelan F-16s conducted the aggressive maneuver over the USS Jason Dunham, an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer, in a clear “show of force,” a U.S. defense official confirmed to Navy Times.
“This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations,” the DOD’s X post read.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. struck a Venezuelan drug-carrying vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 on board.
The boat contained Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists, Trump said in a Truth Social post.
US warships in South America and the reaction in Venezuela
Navy Times reached out to the White House, Navy and Pentagon for specifics about the drugs on board and the type of munitions used, as well as the process of classifying the vessel and those on board as worthy of a strike. The Navy referred Navy Times to the White House, which declined to comment along with the Pentagon.
“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military,” the DOD’s X post read.
The U.S. deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers — the Gravely, Jason Dunham and Sampson — to the Caribbean in August. The move was designed to boost the Trump administration’s counter-narcotic efforts to target Latin American drug cartels, The Associated Press reported.
The Navy also deployed the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean off Latin America.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day of office designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, allowing the administration the authority to use military force against them.
Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of trafficking drugs and supporting drug cartels.
On Aug. 7, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a $50 million prize for his arrest, labeling him as a “threat to the national security” of the U.S.
