The US military flew a pair of Navy F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, marking what appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the country’s airspace since President Donald Trump launched his pressure campaign against Nicolas Maduro, the Associated Press reported.

Public flight-tracking websites showed the jets circling over the narrow gulf — a body of water bordered by Venezuela and stretching only about 150 miles across — for more than 30 minutes.

A US defense official confirmed the aircraft were conducting a routine training flight, adding that they remained in international airspace. The official, speaking anonymously, would not say whether the jets were armed, but insisted the flight was not meant to be provocative, according to the Associated

See Full Page