By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a US Navy destroyer in the Caribbean on Thursday, according to a US official, triggering a stern warning from Washington to Caracas against interfering with its military operations in the region.
The Pentagon said the incident occurred in international waters near Florida, heightening tensions just two days after a US strike killed 11 people aboard a Venezuelan vessel that President Donald Trump alleged was transporting narcotics.
While the Trump administration has defended the strike as a necessary measure against transnational crime, legal experts have raised concerns about whether the US had the authority to target what it designated earlier this year as a terrorist-linked drug trafficking group.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago broke ranks with most CARICOM members by supporting the US presence at an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
CARICOM Affairs Minister Shaun Soares said CELAC had sought to issue a joint communiqué condemning the US military buildup, warning it could destabilize the region. However, Trinidad and several Latin American countries objected. CARICOM has not yet issued a formal statement.
In a move expected to escalate tensions further, the US has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, adding to its already strong military presence in the southern Caribbean. The jets will support operations against drug cartels as part of Trump’s campaign pledge to intensify the fight against narcotics.
Friday’s deployment comes just three days after the deadly naval strike, signaling what analysts believe could be the start of a sustained US military campaign in Latin America.
