Is US mulling military action in Venezuela? Fears rise as Trump orders closure of airspace—Tensions explained

US President Donald Trump intensified his threats toward Venezuela on Saturday, issuing a stark warning that the country’s airspace should be regarded as “closed". Following months of deadly US attacks on suspected drug-smuggling vessels, speculation is growing that Washington could carry out a military operation in Venezuela, according to AFP.

Trump's warning follows days after US aviation authorities advised airlines to exercise increased caution near Venezuela due to rising tensions, prompting several major carriers to suspend flights. He stated this week that efforts to stop Venezuelan drug trafficking "by land" would start “very soon”, the report noted.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers. Please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a Truth social post from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

US' action against Venezuela

In recent months, the US has stepped up pressure on Caracas as part of a counter-narcotics effort targeting drug trafficking, which the Trump administration claims is orchestrated by Maduro’s regime.

The administration has labelled Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, citing this designation as legal justification for certain operations, while Venezuela contends it is a false pretext for intervention. Trump also claims that the cartel is headed by the Venezuelan president.

A report by Bloomberg said that as part of Trump's Venezuela strategy, the US has increased its military presence in the region, deploying an aircraft carrier and warships and sending senior military officials to meet with leaders across the Caribbean.

How Venezuela is acting

Caracas, seeing the substantial US military presence in the Caribbean as an effort to force out President Nicolas Maduro, condemned Trump's warning as a “colonialist threat”. Maduro's government subsequently banned Turkish Airlines (TK) and five others, namely Iberia (IB), TAP Air Portugal (TP), Avianca (AV), LATAM (LA), and GOL (G3) for “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government”.

It dismissed Trump’s “hostile” post and demanded “unrestricted respect” for its airspace, a government statement on Saturday read, Bloomberg reported.

“Such statements represent an explicit threat of force. Venezuela will not accept orders, threats, or interference from any foreign power," Maduro’s government mentioned.

Earlier this week, Maduro urged Venezuelans to “give their lives” if necessary to defend the country from “imperialist attacks". Despite the growing threats, daily life continues for most citizens, with the capital bustling ahead of Christmas and shoppers flocking to stores for Black Friday deals.

Although tensions are rising and supply issues are sporadic, Venezuela’s state-run oil industry remains operational. A small number of foreign oil companies, including Chevron Corp., which produces roughly a quarter of the nation’s output, operate in the country.

On Saturday, Venezuela’s military carried out exercises along its coastal regions, with state TV airing footage of antiaircraft weapons and other artillery being deployed. It cautioned that the airspace disruptions would also suspend repatriation flights of Venezuelan migrants from the United States, a central initiative of the Trump administration.

How many people have died since the operation began?

Since the anti-narcotics operation started in September, at least 83 people have died in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Washington has not provided proof that the targeted vessels were involved in drug smuggling or posed a threat to the US, and experts argue that the strikes constitute extrajudicial killings, even when aimed at known traffickers, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, Trump announced plans to pardon a former Honduran president serving a decades-long US sentence for cocaine trafficking, just two days before that country’s election.

(With inputs from agencies)