iDeemlawfulThe United States invasion of Venezuela appears increasingly imminent as President Donald Trump announced a full closure of airspace over the country and its surrounding areas.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, declared: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around” the country.
Venezuela responded by revoking operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights after the FAA advisory.
The Venezuelan government insisted the FAA lacked authority over its airspace, but the alert prompted several airlines to halt flights to the country from November 24 to 28, according to Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s civil aviation authority announced late Wednesday that Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Chile’s and Brazil’s LATAM, Brazil’s Gol, and Turkish Airlines would have their permits withdrawn.
The authority said the move was taken against the airlines for aligning with “the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government.”
Rising tensions follow a US military build-up off the South American coast and a series of military strikes targeting vessels in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, which have resulted in at least 83 deaths.
The US has alleged, without presenting evidence, that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking.
Latin American leaders, international law specialists, families of the victims, and some members of the US Congress have denounced the strikes as extrajudicial killings, insisting many of those killed were fishermen.
Concerns are mounting that Trump may use the military presence in the region — which includes thousands of US troops, a nuclear submarine, and warships accompanying the USS Gerald R Ford, the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier — to launch an attack on Venezuela in an attempt to remove President Nicolas Maduro.
The US has accused Maduro of drug trafficking, while the Venezuelan leader has accused Washington of “fabricating a new eternal war” against him.
