The Department of Defense cautioned Venezuela after saying two of its military aircraft flew near a Navy vessel, the USS Jason Dunham, on Thursday.
The military struck a Venezuelan drug boat earlier this week in the Caribbean and positioned vessels near the South American nation.
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In response to the flyby, made by two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets, the Trump administration accused Venezuela of being run by the cartels.
“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters,” a Department of Defense release said.
“This highly provacative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. 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 carried out by the U.S. military,” it concluded.
— Department of Defense ???????? (@DeptofDefense) September 5, 2025
It is unclear what actions the ship took in response to the aircraft.
The United States recently deployed at least eight Navy vessels near Venezuela to counter drug trafficking activity in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “for the first time in the modern era,” the U.S. government was “truly on the offense” against drug cartels.
Jimmy Story, a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, told the New York Times that deploying the ships to take out cartel boats was like “using a blowtorch to cook an egg.”
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called his people “warriors” and said they would respond to any incursion with “maximum rebellion.”
He also tried to warn President Donald Trump of Rubio’s actions. “Mr. President, Donald Trump,” he said Monday, “watch out, because Mr. Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood.”