The American president made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.
He wrote “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY”.
The surprise announcement comes as tensions between the US and Venezuela have ramped up over Trump’s “war on drugs”.
On Thursday, Trump vowed to escalate military action against alleged drug-smugglers, saying the US military would start land operations in Venezuela “very soon”.
“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” he told military service members in a call.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have intensified in recent months, and the United States has carried out numerous military and security operations in the Caribbean and around Venezuela, which have drawn international condemenation and criticism.
MNA
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