TWO Venezuelan fighter jets descended on a US warship – just days after Trump declared all-out war against drug cartels.
The tension-hiking move was branded “highly provocative” by the White House amid teetering relations between the US and Venezuela.
wikicommonsVenezuela flew two F-16s over USS Jason Dunham (stock)[/caption]
US NavyThe destroyer is currently located in Latin American waters as part of efforts to combat drug smuggling[/caption]
SplashDonald Trump is ramping up efforts against drug smuggling cartels[/caption]
The menacing flyover saw two F-16 fighter jets swoop down just above the American naval destroyer USS Jason Dunham, according to the White House.
The Defence Department said: “Today two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near to a US Navy vessel in international waters.
“This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our narco terror operations.”
They also warned the cartel to back down and not pursue any further attempts to obstruct their military presence to combat cartels.
The F-16 can reach blistering speeds of up to 1,319mph, and carry deadly missiles as well as a six-barrel cannon.
Meanwhile its opponent in this case, USS Jason Dunham, weighs a hulking 9,200 tons and is over 500ft long – also equipped with missiles and a naval gun.
It comes three days after the Don blitzed a narco boat killing 11 on board – all of whom he claims were drug-smuggling gangsters heading for American shores.
The President said the substance-running vessel was carrying members of the infamous Tren de Aragua gang – which is designated as a “terrorist organisation” in the US.
Trump said of the strikes: “There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that.
“Obviously, they wont be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people wont be doing it again.
“When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, Let’s not do this.”
Meanwhile Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned following the attack: “We’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships.
“Because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t, it won’t stop with just this strike.”
Legal experts have raised questions about the boat blitz – but Trump has defended his action, arguing his designation of the group as a terror organisation gives him authority.
Washington also ordered the deployment of more than 4,000 soldiers and three US naval destroyers to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of boosted efforts to win Trump’s new war on drugs.
GettyVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro deployed two F-16 jets[/caption]
X/@clashreportIt comes days after Trump blitzed a narco boat killing 11 on board[/caption]
ReutersSalvadoran police officers cut the hair of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua[/caption]
Sitting on the edge of Venezuela’s territorial waters are USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson.
Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro is actively backing and funding drug cartels, Trump claims.
Maduro has hit back claiming Trump is seeking regime change, declaring: “In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela.”
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The first day of Trump’s second term kicked off with the designation of narcotraffickers as terrorists – giving him the right to kill them before they can reach American shores.
This is the argument he has used in the face of law experts warning that his decision to strike a suspected drug-smuggling boat on Tuesday was illegal.
Washington-watchers claim that the gangsters should have been arrested – but the White House says that law enforcement is ineffective.
Trump vowed after the blitz: “There’s more where that came from.”
The US President has long spoken of his desire to enact force to take on drug cartels, which he accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of actively backing.
Maduro has denied the allegations, and the last few months have seen teetering escalations deteriorate into a tense standoff.
The US has positioned naval destroyers and soldiers around Maduro’s waters, while the Venezuelan dictator has ordered mass mobilisation of over four million troops.
The Venezuelan President also ordered mass mobilisation of over four million troops last month.
The military jet flyover marks the latest escalation in the simmering conflict between Washington and Caracas over drug smuggling cartels.
Trump has accused President Maduro of “mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere”
The tit for tat escalation started with a $50million bounty on Maduro offered by Washington.
On top of this, $700million worth of assets with alleged links to Maduro have been seized since August – including luxury goods and private jets.
AFPUSS Sampson docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama on Tuesday[/caption]