Published On 22/11/2025
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Last update: 05:28 (Mecca time)
On Friday, US aviation authorities issued a warning to civilian aircraft flying in the airspace of Venezuela, noting the risks that “increased military activity” in the region could cause, amid a large buildup of US forces.
The US Federal Aviation Administration urged civilian aircraft in Venezuelan airspace to “exercise caution,” given “the deteriorating security situation and increasing military activity in or around Venezuela.”
“These threats may pose a potential danger to aircraft at all altitudes, including during flight, arrival and departure phases, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” she added.
This development comes hours after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the army, Bolivarian armed groups, and members of the Popular Defense Forces to protect vital sites in the country, such as oil, gas, and electricity facilities, amid reports of the possibility of the United States carrying out military operations against Venezuela.
In statements broadcast by official media, Maduro accused the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of trying to implement a plan aimed at sabotaging strategic facilities in the country to harm the Venezuelan economy.
Earlier, the Venezuelan president expressed his readiness for dialogue with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, and he had previously announced the mobilization of forces numbering 4.5 million people in the country and his readiness to repel any attack.
The Trump administration accused Maduro of leading the drug trade and sending them to American territory, and American media reports spoke of Trump receiving plans from military leaders and his administration’s efforts to change the regime in Venezuela.
This warning to civilian aircraft comes a few days before the inclusion of a drug cartel, allegedly led by Maduro, on the US terrorist list takes effect, in a move that some believe portends military action against his government.
American crowd
The United States has amassed a large force in the Caribbean near Venezuela, including its most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and other warships.
The Ford aircraft carrier culminates in the largest mobilization of American firepower in the region in generations, and with its arrival, the “Operation Southern Spear” mission includes approximately 12 warships and approximately 12,000 sailors and marines.
During the past few weeks, US forces launched air strikes targeting boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, which Washington says are used for drug smuggling.
US forces have carried out strikes against more than 20 boats allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea since early September, killing more than 80 people.
The death of several people, including fishermen, as a result of the American attacks sparked controversy about extrajudicial killings in the international community.
Last August, Trump issued an executive order to increase the use of the army under the pretext of combating drug cartels in Latin America.