Overview
- Flight‑tracking platforms showed two Super Hornets loitering over the gulf near Zulia and Falcón for about 40 minutes, with thousands following a bow‑tie pattern in real time and some reports noting an accompanying EA‑18G Growler.
- A U.S. defense official described the mission as routine training and said the aircraft remained in international airspace under Operation Lanza del Sur.
- Caracas declared a state of emergency, mobilized forces and militias, and highlighted deployments of S‑300VM air‑defense batteries protecting key corridors.
- The episode comes as the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, B‑52 flights, P‑8 patrols and ISR drones sustain a sizable U.S. presence in the southern Caribbean estimated at roughly 15,000–16,000 personnel.
- Earlier the same day, an MQ‑4C Triton conducted reconnaissance near Venezuela, and President Donald Trump signaled possible future strikes on narcotrafficking infrastructure after months of lethal interdictions at sea.