Overview

• Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said air defenses tracked five combat aircraft roughly 46 miles from shore in the Maiquetía flight information region.
• He identified the jets as U.S. F-35s at about 35,000 feet and 400 knots and labeled their presence a threat to national security.
• The Venezuelan government said an international airline crew reported the sighting to Maiquetía air traffic controllers.
• The Pentagon has not responded to requests for comment, though it previously acknowledged deploying F-35s to Puerto Rico in September.
• The sighting follows a larger U.S. maritime and air presence tied to counternarcotics operations, including lethal strikes on suspected smuggling boats that have drawn legal and political scrutiny.