US accuses Venezuela of sending 2 F-16 fighter jets to fly near US warship amid tensions

Washington [US], September 5: The US Department of Defense announced late on September 4 that two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a US Navy ship in international waters, according to Reuters.
In a statement, the US Department of Defense also emphasized that Venezuela is strongly advised not to continue any efforts to hinder, deter or interfere with US military counter- narcotics and counter-terrorism operations. The statement did not provide further details.
The New York Times quoted a US defense official as saying that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the US Navy guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham in the southern Caribbean Sea.
The Pentagon called the move "an extremely provocative move" and said it was "intended to interfere with our counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations."
There is currently no information about Venezuela's reaction to the new statement of the US Department of Defense.
Earlier, a US military operation targeting a Venezuelan ship in the Caribbean on September 2 left 11 people dead. US President Donald Trump said the ship was carrying drugs and belonged to a drug gang that the US has listed as a terrorist organization.
On August 31, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez declared that Venezuela was ready for 'any attack' from the US. "We will fight if you dare set foot in Venezuela," Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez warned the US in a statement published by Venezuelan state media, according to Xinhua.
Minister Padrino said Venezuela was being besieged to cause internal chaos and weaken the country's political leadership.
Padrino's comments came as the United States deployed several warships near the Venezuelan coast. On August 29, a defense official told The Washington Post that eight U.S. warships were taking part in a broader "enhanced counternarcotics operation" to conduct drug interdiction missions in Latin America.
"The announcement of these naval deployments in the Caribbean is nothing more than a show of force, a way to mark territory, so that other powers cannot control the Caribbean," Padrino said, referring to US military exercises in the region.
Mr Padrino said the Venezuelan Armed Forces were patrolling the country's maritime borders and airspace in response to President Maduro's call for more militias. Mr Padrino also said 15,000 troops had been deployed to the western region of Venezuela.
Minister Padrino also highlighted the military's efforts to ensure internal security, noting that anti-drug operations have led to the destruction of more than 30 criminal outposts and illegal shipbuilding facilities.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper