Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., discusses the Trump administration terminating Chevron’s oil license in Venezuela on “The Bottom Line.”
Venezuela condemned the president on Saturday Donald Trump saying the South American country’s airspace should be considered closed as a “colonialist threat.”
Venezuelan officials accused Trump of threatening the country’s sovereignty, adding that his comments violated international law.
The country’s foreign minister called Trump’s post “another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people,” BBC News reported.
Earlier Saturday, the president said on Truth Social that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered “completely closed.”
Overview of Caracas amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela. (Reuters/Gaby Oraa / Reuters Photos)
“Nasty all airlinesPilots, drug dealers and human traffickers, please consider that AIRSPACE OVER VENEZUELA IS CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” he wrote without elaborating.
This came a week after the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of a “deteriorating security situation“in the area.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES POSSIBLE MILITARY ATTACK ON VENEZUELA
Some international airlines have canceled flights after the warning.
Venezuela on Saturday condemned President Donald Trump, saying the South American country’s airspace closure should be considered a “colonialist threat.” (Pete Marovich/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia Flight Information Area at all altitudes due to the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity in or around Venezuela,” the spokesperson said. F.A.A said in a pre-Thanksgiving advisory.
“Threats may pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight, the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or airports and aircraft on the ground,” it added, asking airlines to notify the FAA at least 72 hours in advance if they plan to fly through the area.
The warning came in the middle increased tensions between the US and Venezuela as the US builds up its presence in the Caribbean to deter drug smugglers.
Spain’s Iberia Airlines previously said it was canceling its flights to Venezuela indefinitely. (Reuters/Isabel Infantes/File Photo / Reuters)
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Direct flights by U.S. passenger and cargo carriers to Venezuela have been suspended since 2019, but some airlines are still flying over the country on their South American routes, according to Reuters.
The US does not have the authority to close another country’s airspace.
