US F/A-18 jets fly into Gulf of Venezuela

 Two U.S. Navy F/A-18s flew over the Gulf of Venezuela, flight-tracking data showed on Tuesday, in what observers say is a toughening pressure move on President Nicolás Maduro’s regime amid heightened tensions in the region.

The U.S. has ramped up military operations across the Caribbean, including air, naval and ground exercises. Since September, it has conducted boat strikes that killed over 80 people. The Pentagon is under growing scrutiny after a September strike on an alleged drug‑smuggling vessel included a second “follow on” attack that killed survivors, the Associated Press reported, citing two people familiar with the operation.

Why It Matters

Maduro said Venezuela didn’t want “a slave’s peace,” asserting his refusal to bow to U.S. pressure. He reaffirmed commitment to sovereignty despite mounting military and diplomatic pressure from Washington. The Trump administration deems Maduro an illegitimate leader and has designated the Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization, accusing the Venezuelan president and his senior military officials of leading the group.

Maduro and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone last week, but no concrete outcome was announced. Trump said he would consider expanding his military campaign against drugs targets in countries such as Mexico and Colombia.

What To Know

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets remained over the Gulf for about 40 minutes, a confined body of water bordered on three sides by Venezuelan territory, in the same zone where U.S. forces had previously tested the country’s air defenses, according to the War Zone website.

F/A-18 Super Hornets, an RC-135 Rivet Joint and B‑52 bombers have been performing training exercises to test Venezuela’s air defense capabilities, the War Zone cited a U.S. official as saying in November. The fighter jets are operating from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which departed St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on Saturday after a port visit.

The carrier strike group operating in the Caribbean was assigned to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) to support counter‑drug efforts. It carries a mix of strike, electronic and support aircraft, including F/A‑18E and F Super Hornets, E/A‑18G Growlers, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks, and C-2A Greyhounds.

What People Are Saying

The U.S. Navy wrote on X on Tuesday: “U.S. military forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in support of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Politico: “Those boats come in largely from Venezuela. … They send really, really bad people into our country, and they’ve done it better than anybody else. They emptied their prisons into our country, and these prisoners are seriously tough.”