Reports say the Jets have caused a stir over Jason Dunham, a guided missile destroyer. The US ships did not respond.
The pentagon later described the pilot as “provocative” and said the aircraft tried to thwart what was called anti-drug and counter-terrorism operations.
He also warned Caracas that he would not “pursuing further efforts to obstruct, block or interfere” in a US military operation near the Venezuelan border.
Caracas has long rejected such allegations, claiming that Washington exaggerates drug-related claims to justify military presence near Venezuela’s waters.
President Nicolas Maduro repeatedly argued that the US deployment represents the “largest threat of 100 years” to the continent, warning that Venezuela will declare a “republic of arms” if attacked.
The overpass came just two days after a US strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean killed 11 people. Washington claimed the ship had carried members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and was transporting drugs.
The Maduro government called the incident “extrajudicial murder.” Legal experts also questioned whether the attack met international standards of need and proportionality or whether the victim was armed, as there was no evidence that the US faced an imminent danger.
This episode unfolds against the backdrop of growth in US naval activities in the region. In recent weeks, eight American ships, including USS San Antonio, USS IWO JIMA and USS Fort Lauderdale, have entered the Caribbean with more than 4,500 troops and thousands of missiles.
Washington says the development is aimed at curbing Latin American drug cartels, but critics have questioned whether such a massive presence is proportional to the stated goal. Maduro suggests that this accumulation is designed to undermine or overthrow his government.
Tensions between the two countries are steadily escalating. The Trump administration doubled its pay to $50 million in August for information that led to Maduro’s arrest on drug trafficking charges. They also moved nuclear-responsive submarines and surveillance aircraft to the area.
Venezuela and the United States severed diplomatic ties in 2019, when Washington recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president. Sanctions continued, deepening the country’s economic crisis. However, Maduro won the election last year and was sworn in for the third term.
Caracas is responding to US measures by mobilizing millions of reserves, supporting marine patrols and suspending drone flights across the country. Maduro claims his government is seeking peace, but “blackmail and threats” warn Venezuela that he will not force submission.
The Pentagon portrays Venezuela’s manipulation as hostile, but the Maduro administration argues that it is more of a military accumulation in Washington than Caracas’s defensive action.
Venezuela also appealed to the United Nations to request an “immediate halt of US military deployment in the Caribbean.”
RHM/Press TV