These aeronautical maneuvers increase tension in a region where US military activity has intensified in recent days, focusing international attention on Venezuela’s northern border. Last Sunday, international monitoring systems also reported the passage of two US F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets near Venezuelan territory, according to information published by FlightRadar24. This deployment coincided with the repositioning of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. US President Donald Trump has once again escalated his rhetoric regarding Venezuela, warning his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, that his “days are numbered” and reiterating that attacks against alleged drug traffickers in Caribbean waters will ‘soon’ be carried out on land as well. On Tuesday, two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets entered Venezuelan airspace north of the oil-rich state of Zulia, international media reported. The aircraft’s trajectory was tracked in real time using the FlightRadar24 digital platform, where they were observed approaching Lake Maracaibo from inside the Gulf of Venezuela. The aircraft, with the call signs “RHINO11” and “RHINO12,” flew over the area adjacent to Curaçao and the maritime zone off the coast of Falcón state.
