Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says
The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a social media post.
US officials contacted were surprised by Trump’s announcement and unaware of any ongoing US military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace.
The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment and the White House did not provide any further explanation.
In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Venezuela’s government condemned Trump’s comments, describing them as a “colonialist threat” against the country’s sovereignty. The US president’s post “represents a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act, incompatible with the principles of international law”, the statement said.
