President Donald Trump said Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela is to be closed in its entirety.
"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump in a Truth Social post early Saturday morning.
"Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."
Last week, the U.S. aviation regulator warned major airlines of a "potentially hazardous situation" when flying over Venezuela due to a "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around" the country.
Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country following a warning from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Trump reportedly spoke by phone last week with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, discussing the possibility of an in-person meeting even as Washington intensifies military and diplomatic pressure on Caracas.
The late-week conversation — which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio — came just before a State Department designation took effect labeling Maduro the head of a foreign terrorist organization, the Cartel de los Soles, sources told The New York Times.
Maduro was reportedly warned that the U.S. would escalate military actions if he did not leave Caracas in the short term, but the White House rejected that report as "fabricated."
The phone call between the Republican leader and the Venezuelan dictator took place last weekend, with Secretary Rubio also participating. The White House told Infobae that a possible meeting between the two leaders is “fabricated.”
While the two leaders floated the idea of meeting in the United States, no plans are currently in place.
The call arrives amid a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. Officials say the deployment is aimed at deterring drug trafficking, but they have also openly talked about Maduro stepping down, even hinting that force remains an option.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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