The Venezuelan administration urges US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to abandon his provocative and aggressive military stance.
Published On 3 Oct 2025
The Venezuelan government has condemned what it describes as an unauthorized incursion by US military aircraft near its territorial waters, accusing Washington of engaging in “military intimidation” that endangers national security.
On Thursday, Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino revealed that at least five F-35 stealth fighters were identified approaching the Venezuelan coastline, labeling the maneuver as a brazen act of “US imperialism” encroaching dangerously close to the nation’s maritime borders.
“We are monitoring their movements closely. Let it be clear: this does not frighten us, nor does it intimidate the Venezuelan people,” Padrino declared from a military airbase, as reported by Agencia Venezuela.
He further condemned the flights over the Caribbean Sea as “an outright provocation and a direct threat to our country’s sovereignty and security.”
“I publicly denounce the United States government’s military provocations and threats against a people who seek peace, prosperity, and stability,” the minister added.
Venezuelan authorities confirmed that their air defense radar systems, along with air traffic control at Maiquetía International Airport near Caracas and a commercial airliner, detected the presence of these US warplanes.
According to a joint communiqué from Venezuela’s foreign and defense ministries, the US jets were spotted approximately 75 kilometers (46.6 miles) off the Venezuelan coast. While this distance remains outside Venezuela’s official airspace limit of 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers), the ministries accused the US of violating international norms and endangering civilian air traffic in the Caribbean region.
The statement also called on US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to immediately halt his “reckless, thrill-seeking, and belligerent behavior,” which is destabilizing peace across the Caribbean basin.
Venezuela denuncia incursión ilegal de aviones de combate de EEUU en sus costas: «Provocación que amenaza la soberanía nacional» (+Comunicado)https://t.co/GnR4wLRDzz
– Agencia Venezuela News (@AgenciaVNews) October 2, 2025
The Pentagon has not yet issued any official response to media inquiries regarding the incident.
Earlier reports from US outlets indicated that President Donald Trump has formally informed Congress that the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” against drug trafficking organizations, classifying cartel members as “unlawful combatants.”
This declaration marks a shift toward a more militarized approach, following the US administration’s recent designation of Latin American drug cartels as “narco-terrorists” intent on undermining US stability through illicit drug smuggling.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions with Venezuela, especially after the deployment of US F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico, a US Caribbean territory. This deployment represents the largest US military presence in Latin America in decades and has already included airstrikes targeting vessels off Venezuela’s coast, which the US claims were involved in narcotics trafficking.
To date, these US operations have resulted in 14 fatalities, which Venezuelan officials and independent analysts have characterized as extrajudicial killings.
Additionally, the US has dispatched eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region as part of what President Trump calls an anti-drug trafficking campaign. However, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro asserts that this military buildup is a covert attempt to orchestrate regime change in Venezuela.
