US Military Escalates Presence Near Venezuelan Coast with Fighter Jets, Bombers, and Drones Amid Rising Tensions

The United States military has deployed a variety of aircraft including fighter jets, bombers, and surveillance drones along Venezuela's coastline in recent weeks, according to an AFP analysis, heightening concerns about potential conflict between the two nations.

In the Caribbean, Washington has assembled a substantial fleet of warships as part of what it describes as counter-narcotics operations. Since September, the U.S. has conducted strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels, resulting in nearly 90 fatalities.

These military actions and the significant naval presence have intensified regional tensions. Venezuela's leftist president Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of using drug trafficking as a pretext to pursue regime change in Caracas.

Analysis of data from tracking website Flightradar24 by AFP reveals that on Tuesday, two US Navy F/A-18 jets circled the Gulf of Venezuela for over 40 minutes, coming within approximately 20 miles (35 kilometers) of the Venezuelan coast. Another warplane was operating further north at the beginning of this mission.

That same day, a long-range surveillance drone conducted repeated passes for several hours along a 500-mile stretch of the Caribbean Sea, marking the first time in at least a month that a drone of this type had transmitted a signal in the area. An additional high-altitude drone flight was recorded in the same vicinity on Friday morning.

Between late October and late November, five flights of B-1 and B-52 bombers and two flights of F/A-18s were tracked within 25 miles of Venezuela's coastline.

The data does not capture all aircraft in the region. For instance, photographs released by the US military have shown bombers accompanied by F-35 stealth jets that did not appear on Flightradar24 tracking.

Washington has labeled Maduro as the leader of the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it recently designated as a "narco-terrorist" organization, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.

In a recent interview with Politico, President Donald Trump stated that Maduro's "days are numbered" and declined to rule out the possibility of a US ground invasion of Venezuela.