President Donald Trump declared Saturday that all airspace over and around Venezuela should be treated as completely closed, escalating tensions as his administration increases pressure on alleged drug trafficking networks in the region.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote in a social media post, offering no additional details about potential U.S. enforcement actions.

The president’s announcement follows a warning last week from the Federal Aviation Administration, which alerted major airlines to a “potentially hazardous” situation over Venezuelan airspace. The FAA cited “worsening security” conditions and “heightened military activity,” noting that commercial aircraft at all altitudes could face potential threats.

In the aftermath of that advisory, at least six international airlines suspended flights to Caracas.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry sharply condemned Trump’s statement, calling it “a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most basic principles of international law.”
The ministry urged the United Nations and the broader international community to “firmly reject this immoral act of aggression,” saying it “amounts to a threat against the sovereignty and security of our Homeland, the Caribbean, and northern South America.”