Venezuela is facing US pressure. Trump's no-fly zone proposal has raised sovereignty concerns

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers, please consider the airspace over and around Venezuela completely closed." He did not provide any further details, however, as Washington steps up pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela has strongly condemned Trump's assertion that the airspace around the country should be considered closed. In a statement, the government described his remarks as a "colonial threat" to the country's sovereignty and incompatible with international law.

U.S. officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump's statement and were unaware of any ongoing U.S. military operations to enforce the closure of Venezuelan airspace.

The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation. Venezuela's Ministry of Communications, which handles media inquiries for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's post.

The military in the Caribbean

David Deptula, a retired lieutenant general who commanded the no-fly zone over northern Iraq from 1998 to 1999, said Trump's announcement raises more questions than it answers.

Implementing a no-fly zone over Venezuela, he said, could require significant resources and planning, depending on the objectives of the airspace closure. "The devil is in the details," he said.

The Trump administration has considered various Venezuela-related steps to combat what it describes as Maduro's role in supplying illegal drugs that kill Americans. But Venezuela's president has denied any ties to the drug trade.

One of the possibilities was an attempt to overthrow Maduro. After a massive military deployment in the Caribbean and nearly three months of attacks on suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, the U.S. military is ready to enter a new phase of operations. Trump has also authorised covert CIA operations in that South American country.

Venezuelan resistance

Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, says Trump is trying to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any attempt to remove him.

Trump told members of the US armed forces this week that the US would "soon" begin ground operations to stop alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers.

Maduro and senior officials in his government, who appear almost daily on state television, have denounced U.S. imperialism in recent speeches, but have not mentioned Trump directly as the Venezuelan government seeks to defuse tensions, according to diplomatic sources.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used to be a frequent target of Venezuelan criticism in the past, but even references to him have diminished in recent weeks.

Trump's airspace announcement followed last week's warning from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that major airlines faced a "potentially dangerous situation" when flying over Venezuela due to "the deteriorating security situation and increased military activity in or around the country".

Venezuela subsequently revoked the operating rights of six major international airlines, which suspended flights to the country following an FAA warning.

(reuters, hal)