The U.S. military flew two Navy F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, marking the closest American warplanes have come to Venezuelan airspace since the Trump administration began its pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.

Public flight-tracking data showed the jets circling for more than 30 minutes over international waters in the gulf, a body of water roughly 150 miles across at its widest point. A U.S. defense official confirmed the aircraft were conducting a “routine training flight,” stressing that the jets remained outside Venezuelan airspace.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to operational sensitivity, would not confirm whether the aircraft were armed but said the mission was consistent with previous regional exercises intended to demonstrate U.S. reach and readiness. “This was not meant to be provocative,” the official said.

While the U.S. has previously flown B-52 and B-1 bombers along Venezuela’s coastline, those missions did not approach as closely as Tuesday’s flight path.

The overflight comes amid the largest U.S. military presence in the region in decades and follows a series of lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Since September, at least 87 people have been killed in 22 known strikes, including two survivors who died in a subsequent follow-up strike. President Donald Trump has further warned that land operations could be forthcoming, though he has not identified potential targets.

Maduro has repeatedly accused the U.S. of using counter-narcotics operations as a pretext to force him from power. Meanwhile, members of Congress are pressing the Pentagon for unedited video of the strikes, describing the current level of disclosure as inadequate. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday he is still weighing whether to release the footage. He delivered a classified briefing that same day alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior national security officials.

Separately, Adm. Alvin Holsey — nearing retirement as head of U.S. Southern Command — met with Senate Armed Services Committee leaders to discuss regional operations.

Trump has defended the military actions as essential in what he has described as an “armed conflict” against drug cartels.

Flightradar24 reported the F/A-18s were the most-tracked aircraft globally at the time of the mission. Venezuela continues to assert sovereignty over the Gulf of Venezuela, a claim the U.S. has disputed for decades under international maritime law.