Particle.news
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

U.S. F/A-18s Fly Over Gulf of Venezuela as Trump Signals Possible Escalation

The Pentagon called the monitored flight a routine training mission in international airspace.

Image
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • Public flight-tracking showed two Navy fighters, callsigns RHINO11 and RHINO12, loitering over the gulf for roughly 30–50 minutes near Maracaibo with transponders on.
  • A U.S. defense official said the sortie stayed outside Venezuelan airspace and marked the closest approach by U.S. warplanes since the pressure campaign began in August.
  • President Donald Trump said Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered,” declined to rule out a ground invasion, and suggested U.S. operations could move onto land soon.
  • Venezuelan leaders, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, vowed to fight and framed the U.S. posture as a push to force regime change.
  • U.S. strikes on suspected narcotics boats have killed more than 80 people since September, prompting U.N. accusations of extrajudicial executions and congressional demands for full footage and briefings.