Holiday Ayo - The Venezuelan government strongly condemned what it called the "illegal incursion" by several United States (US) fighter jets into airspace under Caracas air traffic control.

Venezuela accused the US of a "provocation" that "threatens national sovereignty."

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense, as reported by AFP on Friday (October 3, 2025), said that the US fighter jets were detected in airspace "75 kilometers from our coast."

It did not elaborate on whether the US fighter jets violated Venezuelan airspace.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino claimed that five US fighter jets "dared to approach Venezuelan shores" and were detected by air defense and tracking systems at Maiquetia International Airport, which serves the capital, Caracas.

In a joint statement, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense accused the US of violating international law and endangering civil aviation in the Caribbean Sea.

Last month, US President Donald Trump deployed 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, as part of the largest military deployment in the region in more than three decades.

Trump also deployed eight US warships and a nuclear submarine to the region, as part of an operation to combat drug trafficking that travels through the Caribbean to US territory.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has previously accused Trump of a covert effort to change the regime in Caracas.

In recent weeks, according to Trump's announcement, US military forces have blown up four vessels suspected of transporting drugs. At least 14 people have been killed in US military raids in international waters in the Caribbean.

Such raids have raised questions about their legality from human rights groups and US Democratic and Republican politicians.