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The US deployed two fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, according to reports, in what appears to be the closest approach so far of military aircraft to Venezuelan airspace.
The F/A-18 jet was seen on Flightradar24 flying over the water north of Venezuela for about 30 minutes, the Associated Press reports.
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the short mission as a “routine training flight” designed to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational reach.
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According to reports, F-18 jet fighters were deployed in the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday. (Finbar Webster/Getty Images)
The official also did not reveal whether the jets were armed or not, but stressed that the operation was entirely within international airspace.
Tuesday’s dual flights follow months of increased US military activity in the region.
Although the U.S. has flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers over the Venezuelan coast before, those planes did not appear to come close to Tuesday’s F/A-18s.
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The US military deployed F/A-18 jets near Venezuelan airfields in what defense officials described as routine training to demonstrate operational reach. (Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The increase in activity in the region first began following US attacks on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in both the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific.
A U.S. military attack on a ship reportedly sailing from Venezuela carrying drugs was first reported in September.
The Trump administration said the operations were necessary to stop illegal drug trafficking, although Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied this.
Tensions over Venezuelan airspace increased in November when President Trump directed airlines to consider the area effectively closed in line with FAA warnings to civil carriers.
The senators pledged to block US military action in Venezuela if Trump continues attacks against the country.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a ceremonial sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a government-organized civil-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, previously told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s most significant military threat arises from its own air-naval systems.
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He said this includes fighter jets, limited surface ships and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles.
“To be fair, in the first day or two of campaign planning, we can eliminate the air and sea threat to U.S. forces,” Montgomery said.
International lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat Isaias Medina also said that Venezuela’s own military capabilities look better on paper than in reality.
