In a dangerous development regarding the crisis between Washington and Cuba, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the closure of the airspace over Venezuela, just two days after declaring that "ground operations" in Venezuela would begin "very soon," aimed at implementing new measures against drug smuggling networks.
Trump stated in a post on his social media platform "Truth Social" on Saturday: "To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers, and human traffickers, please consider the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Closure of Venezuelan Airspace
This came after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday, two days ago, that the United States is preparing to take new measures against drug smuggling networks in Venezuela, informing military personnel during a Thanksgiving phone call that ground operations would begin "very soon."
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Trump said: "In recent weeks, you've been working to deter Venezuelan drug dealers, and there are many of them, of course. There aren't too many of them coming by sea anymore."
Cuba Condemns Trump’s Measures
The U.S. President added: "You may have noticed that people don't want to deliver goods by sea, and we'll start stopping them on land too. The situation in Venezuela is easier, but that will start very soon. We've warned them: Stop sending poison to our country."
Imminent Military Operation Against Venezuela
For its part, Cuba condemned Trump's announcement of the closure of Venezuela's airspace and considered that the U.S. President wants "to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela."
This comes at a time when the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Venezuela through the deployment of a large force in the Caribbean Sea, particularly the world's largest aircraft carrier.
Military observers and experts see President Trump's announcement of the closure of Venezuelan airspace as tantamount to a signal for the start of an imminent military operation, and the beginning of a military operation that could launch within minutes or perhaps hours, by U.S. forces against Venezuelan territory.
Trump claims that the military operation against Venezuela is to prevent drug smuggling, while observers believe that the military operation against Venezuela targets the overthrow of the government and support for the opposition in the country.
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