The United States on Wednesday sent three Air Force B-52 bombers to skirt the borders of Venezuela in international airspace.
ABC News reported that the nuclear-capable bombers flew for hours off the coast of Venezuela.
The flights followed President Donald Trump's comments that his administration is considering possible ground strikes in Venezuela as part of its campaign against drug cartels.
The bombers, which took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, mark one of the most visible displays of U.S. military power in the region this year.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic heavy bomber that can project power across intercontinental distances while carrying a large and flexible loadout of conventional munitions.
Some of the B-52s are equipped to carry nuclear armaments.
The planes are designed for extended missions with a crew of about five to seven, advanced radar and targeting systems, robust communications and electronic countermeasures, and the endurance to perform strategic bombing, stand-off strikes, and maritime patrols.
There is no indication the jets encroached on Venezuelan airspace.
Trump said that he had authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, citing concerns about the movement of drugs and immigrants from the country.
When asked whether his administration would expand military action to land targets, Trump said officials were "certainly looking at land now because we've got the sea very well under control."
The comments came a day after Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth released footage of a strike on what they described as a Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel.
Trump posted on social media: "Under my Standing Authorities as Commander-in-Chief, this morning, the Secretary of War, ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility just off the Coast of Venezuela."
Since early September, the administration has ordered at least five such attacks on what it said were drug smugglers in the Caribbean.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.