Venezuelan fighter jets conducted a “show ofโ force” nearโข a โขU.S. Navy โขvessel in international waters off the โcoast of Venezuela โthis week, prompting a response from the Pentagon.The incident, which occurred Wednesday, involved Venezuelan Su-30 fighter jets flying as close as โ1,000 feet from the USS Lassen, a guided-missile destroyer, according to U.S.officials.
The encounter escalates tensions betweenโข the U.S. and Venezuela โฃamid ongoing โcounter-narcotics โคoperations and U.S. efforts toโ pressure the Maduro regime. The incident raises concerns about potential miscalculation andโ the risk โof escalation in a regionโค already grappling with political instability and illicit trafficking. The U.S. Navy has increased its presence in the Caribbean Sea and eastern โขPacific Ocean as part of Operation Vigilant Sentry,aimed at disrupting drug smuggling โroutes.
The Department of Defense (DOD) addressed the incident on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “The cartel running venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations โcarried out by the U.S. military.”โข The Navy also deployed the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean off Latin America.
U.S. officialsโค have not disclosed the specific type of โmunitions aboard the USS Lassen, nor details regarding the criteria โคused to โclassify the vessel and itsโฃ crew as โคtargets. Requests for comment from Navy Times to the White House, Navy, andโข Pentagon โwereโ declined.
The โincident follows increased U.S. pressure on Venezuelan presidentโข Nicolรกsโ Maduro, including a $50 million โขreward offered by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 7 for hisโ arrest, labeling him a “threat to the national security” โofโ the U.S., as โฃreported by CBS News.