The DOD told the Venezuelan government that it is ’strongly advised’ not to interfere with its mission.
The Department of Defense (DOD) on Sept. 4 confirmed that two Venezuelan military planes flew over a U.S. Navy vessel in the Caribbean Sea, two days after the U.S. military destroyed a boat it said was carrying Tren de Aragua members and drugs.
“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters,” the DOD said in a statement posted to X. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”
The DOD added that “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 US military.”
Details about the type of military planes used in the flyover and the U.S. Navy vessel involved were not provided.
The DOD did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The U.S. government has ramped up pressure on Venezuela in recent days, including the military strike that destroyed a boat with the alleged Tren de Aragua members on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the individuals on the boat were members of the gang, designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year, and were carrying drugs bound for the United States.
In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Hegseth said that the United States may carry out more strikes on narco-terrorists in the region. Trump also issued a warning to the Venezuelan government in comments to reporters in the Oval Office later that day in the context of the U.S. military strike on the boat.
“We have to protect our country, and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a very bad actor,” Trump said. “They’ve been sending millions of people into the country. Many of them are Tren de Aragua, some of the worst people anywhere in the world.”
Venezuela’s government limited its reaction to the strike to questioning the authenticity of a video publicized by the Trump administration showing the attack.
