The president of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to tighten the screws on Venezuela in an unprecedented rhetorical and military escalation. After announcing on Thursday that he will begin “very soon” to stop drug trafficking from Venezuela “also by land,” this Saturday he assured that the airspace of the Caribbean country will be completely closed.
Through a message on his Truth social network, the president wrote: “To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers: we ask you to consider that the airspace over Venezuela and its surroundings will remain completely closed.” Trump has not offered more details about the scope of that measure or how he will execute it.
Air traffic in Venezuela has been de facto suspended for a week, since the United States Air Force issued an alert on Monday warning of an increase in military operations in the area. Companies such as Iberia, Air Europa, Latam, Avianca, TAP, Plus Ultra or Turkish Airlines decided to suspend their operations immediately.
The Venezuelan National Institute of Civil Aeronautics gave the airlines a period of 48 hours to resume their operations, under threat of revoking their licenses. As the companies did not pay attention, the Government of Nicolás Maduro annulled the air traffic rights of Iberia, TAP, Avianca, Latam Colombia, Turkish Airlines and Gol.
The Ministry of Transportation and the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC) of Venezuela accuse the airlines of “joining the actions of State terrorism promoted by the United States Government, unilaterally suspending commercial air operations to and from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”
Trump took advantage of a virtual audience with members of the Armed Forces on Thursday, on the occasion of the Thanksgiving celebration, to raise his tone a little further, in the midst of a rhetorical and military escalation with Venezuela. The American threatened to begin “very soon” to arrest the “drug traffickers” of that country by land, and thus continue the task begun with the campaign of extrajudicial executions carried out by the US Army in Caribbean waters, which the Republican considers a success. In these attacks against alleged drug boats, 80 civilians have been murdered.
“On land it is easier,” the US president said Thursday. “We have warned them: stop sending poison to our country,” he added, in reference to drug trafficking for which he blames the Chavista regime.
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