Venezuela Alleges 5 US Fighter Jets Approached Its Coastline

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López on Oct. 2 accused the United States of provocation after five U.S. fighter jets were allegedly detected near the coastline of Venezuela.

Padrino said the country’s air defense system detected five F-35 aircraft with flight characteristics of 400 knots and flying at an altitude of around 35,000 feet near the Maiquetia region.

“They are imperialist combat planes that have dared to come close to the Venezuelan coast,” Padrino stated in comments broadcast on state television.

Padrino noted that the incident was corroborated when an international airline reported the sighting of the U.S. aircraft to a control tower in Maiquetia.

He said the alleged presence of U.S. fighter jets near Venezuela’s coastline was provocative and a threat to the country’s security.

“We are watching you, I want you to know. And I want you to know that we are not intimidated by it,” Padrino said. “It does not intimidate the people of Venezuela.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stealth Fighters Deployed

In early September, the United States deployed 10 F-35 stealth fighters to a Puerto Rico airbase and warships to conduct operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.

On Sept. 2, the U.S. military struck a boat from Venezuela that President Donald Trump said was bound for the United States with illegal narcotics. At least 11 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang were killed in the strike.

Two days later, the Pentagon said it detected two Venezuelan military aircraft near a U.S. Navy vessel in the Caribbean Sea, calling the action a “highly provocative move.” It warned “the cartel running Venezuela” not to pursue any further effort to obstruct U.S. counter–narco-terror operations in the region.

Trump said on Sept. 15 that the U.S. military conducted another strike after they “positively identified extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the [U.S. Southern Command] area of responsibility.” At least three suspected drug traffickers were killed.

A third strike, announced by Trump on Sept. 19, targeted a vessel affiliated with “a designated terrorist organization conducting narcotrafficking.” Three suspected narcoterrorists were killed in the attack.

Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking, allegations that Maduro and Venezuela’s government have rejected.

Maduro sent a letter to the U.S. president on Sept. 6 proposing to engage in dialogue to address the “many controversies” in U.S.–Venezuela relations, particularly accusations that his government is tied to drug trafficking gangs.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Sept. 22 that the letter contains “a lot of lies” and the Trump administration’s stance on Venezuela remains unchanged.

Reuters contributed to this report.