UPDATE - US fighter jets approach Venezuelan airspace in closely watched flyover

ADDS COMMENT FROM PENTAGON OFFICIAL

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Public flight tracking websites showed two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets approaching Venezuelan airspace around noon Tuesday, conducting an extended flight over the Gulf of Venezuela as Washington stepped up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

Data from sites such as Flightradar24 indicated that the fighter jets crossed the narrow gulf and conducted more than half an hour of maneuvers over the Gulf of Venezuela, drawing significant public attention as thousands monitored their real-time position online.

A US defense official confirmed the mission, saying that the Department of Defense “conducts routine, lawful operations in international airspace, including over the Gulf of Venezuela.”

“We will continue to fly safely, professionally, and in accordance with international law to protect the homeland, monitor illicit activity, and support stability across the Americas,” the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu.

The move occurred amid a significant escalation in military tensions and US operations targeting Venezuela.

Tensions heightened last Saturday after US President Donald Trump's announcement that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela was to be considered closed “in its entirety.”

The US has carried out at least 22 strikes in both the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean on boats suspected of transporting narcotics since September, killing at least 87 people.

Trump last week reiterated his warning that he would soon begin targeting Venezuelan drug trafficking networks "by land."

While the Trump administration asserts that it is targeting Venezuela as part of a push to combat drug trafficking in the region, the Maduro government counters that Washington is seeking to "appropriate Venezuela’s vast oil reserves through the lethal use of military force," suggesting the anti-drug efforts are merely groundwork for an attempt to unlawfully remove Maduro from power.