WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday in what appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the South American country's airspace since the start of theTrump administration's pressure campaign.
Public flight tracking websites showed a pair of U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets fly over the Gulf — a body of water bounded by Venezuela and only about 150 miles at its widest point — and spend more than 30 minutes flying over water. A U.S. defense official confirmed that a pair of jets conducted a "routine training flight" in the area.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, could not say if the jets were armed but noted that they stayed in international airspace during their flight.
The official likened the training flight to previous exercises that were aimed at showing the reach of U.S. planes and said the move was not meant to be provocative.
The military has previously sent B-52 Stratofortress andB-1 Lancer bombersto the region, but those planes flew up to and along the coast of Venezuela. There was no indication that those aircraft ever flew as close to the country's territory as the F/A-18 fighter jets on Tuesday.
The flights are the latest action the U.S. military has taken as it has built up its largest presence in the region in decades and launched a series ofdeadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boatsin the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. President Donald Trump saysland attacks are coming soonbut has not offered any details on location.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office.
The Trump administration is facingincreasing scrutiny from lawmakersover the boat strike campaign, which has killed at least 87 people in22 known strikessince early September, includinga follow-up strike that killed two survivorsclinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit.
Lawmakers aredemanding to get unedited videofrom the strikes, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional leaders Tuesday he was still weighing whether to release it. Hegseth provided a classified briefing for congressional leaders alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials.
The same day, Adm. Alvin Holsey, who will beretiring from U.S. Southern Commandin this week, spoke separately with the Republican chairman and ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Trump hasjustified the attacksas a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an"armed conflict" with drug cartels.
Flightradar24, one of the websites that allowed the public to see the jets flying in real time, said the planes were the most tracked flights on its site at the time.
Venezuela has claimed that the body of water is part of the country's national territory, but those claims have beenchallenged by U.S. legal scholarsand the military for decades.