From the Associated Press: The U.S. military flew a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday in what appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the South American country’s airspace since the start of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign.
Public flight tracking websites showed a pair of U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets fly over the Gulf — a body of water bounded by Venezuela and only about 150 miles at its widest point — and spend more than 30 minutes flying over water. A U.S. defense official confirmed that a pair of jets conducted a “routine training flight” in the area.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, could not say if the jets were armed but noted that they stayed in international airspace during their flight.
The official likened the training flight to previous exercises that were aimed at showing the reach of U.S. planes and said the move was not meant to be provocative.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Multiple American F-18 fighter jets are flying over the Gulf of Venezuela.
This appears to be the closest jets have come to entering Venezuelan airspace.
Major show of force underway. pic.twitter.com/xVSB4NpBLT
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) December 9, 2025
The Pentagon released a video ad earlier on Tuesday, promoting the strength of the U.S. military.
This is the Strength Department… pic.twitter.com/s3IbJCHyOF
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) December 9, 2025
READ MORE from the Associated Press.
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