A US Navy ship conducting counter-drug operations was interfered with Thursday when two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over the vessel, according to the Department of Defense.
The maneuver, described by the Pentagon as “highly provocative,” comes two days after the US forces attacked a Tren de Aragua drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing 11 narco-terrorists.
“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”
“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military.”
The aircraft involved were reportedly armed F-16 fighter jets, according to CBS News.
The outlet reported that the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, was the vessel being harassed by the Venezuelan military.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The Navy dispatched eight ships — including three guided-missile destroyers — to the region last month to counter drug smugglers.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated Venezuelan crime syndicates Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro of working with the drug cartels to traffic narcotics laced with deadly fentanyl into the US.
The Justice Department last month placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, citing his involvement with the cartels.
“He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said of Maduro at the time.
Earlier this week, Maduro described the naval buildup in the Caribbean as the “biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.” He also accused the US of seeking regime change in Venezuela.
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