Tensions Escalate: Venezuelan Jets Buzz US Navy Ship in Caribbean, Pentagon Calls it ‘Provocative’
Tensions Escalate: Venezuelan Jets Buzz US Navy Ship in Caribbean, Pentagon Calls it ‘Provocative’
In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Venezuelan military aircraft have reportedly flown in close proximity to a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Jason Dunham, in international waters near South America for the second time in as many days. Defense Department officials confirmed the incidents, describing the actions as a dangerous ‘game of chicken.’
Sources indicate that F-16 fighter jets were involved in the latest flyover of the Dunham sometime overnight Thursday, following a similar incident earlier the same day. While the U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyer did not engage, officials noted that the aircraft were within weapons-range of the ship.
The Pentagon previously labeled the initial flyover a ‘highly provocative move’ designed to interfere with ongoing U.S. counter-narcotics operations. The USS Jason Dunham is part of a U.S. flotilla deployed to the region to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.
This comes on the heels of a U.S. military strike earlier this week against an alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boat, which reportedly resulted in fatalities. The White House identified the vessel as being operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. is also reportedly deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean to bolster anti-drug cartel operations.
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