US fighter jets fly near Venezuela as scrutiny of deadly boat strikes intensifies

The US military has flown a pair of fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the country’s airspace since the start of President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign.

Public flight-tracking websites showed two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets fly over the Gulf — a body of water bounded by Venezuela and only about 150 miles at its widest point — spending more than 30 minutes over water.

A US defence official confirmed the aircraft conducted a "routine training flight" in the area.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said the jets remained in international airspace.

They did not confirm whether the aircraft were armed but likened the flight to previous exercises aimed at demonstrating US reach, insisting it was not intended to be provocative.

The US has previously deployed B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers to the region, though there is no indication those aircraft flew as close to Venezuelan territory as the F/A-18s.

The flights come as the US expands its largest regional military presence in decades and continues a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

Trump has said land attacks are coming "soon" but has not offered details.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true aim of US operations is to force him from office.

Demands for transparency

The Trump administration is facing growing scrutiny from Congress over the boat strike campaign, which has killed at least 87 people in 22 known strikes since early September — including a second strike that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage after the initial hit.

On Tuesday, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said a closed-door briefing delivered by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior officials was "very unsatisfying," adding that lawmakers still lack clarity about the second strike and the administration’s broader strategy.

Schumer said he asked whether unedited video footage would be provided to all members of Congress.

"His answer was, 'We have to study it.' Well, in my view, they have studied it long enough," he said.

Earlier, Schumer expressed concern about the prospect of entering a land conflict in Venezuela.

Flightradar24 said the F/A-18s were the most-tracked flights on its platform at the time.

Venezuela claims the Gulf forms part of its national territory, a position rejected for decades by US legal scholars and the military.

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Source: TRT