Two U.S. B-1 bombers flew within 50 miles of Venezuela on Thursday, amid ongoing military actions against drug trafficking from the country. President Donald Trump denied the flights but expressed dissatisfaction with Venezuela over drugs and hinted at potential land-based strikes against cartels. The operations follow recent U.S. strikes on drug boats in international waters.
On Thursday, two B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew near Venezuela, remaining over international waters, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal and flight radar tracking. The aircraft approached within about 50 miles of the South American country's coast as part of U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking.
During a White House panel discussion that day, Trump was asked about the flights and denied their occurrence. "Not accurate," he said. "No, it’s false, but we’re not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons. Drugs being one of them."
The mission followed a show of force the previous week, when B-52 bombers and F-35B jet fighters from the U.S. Air Force and Marines operated near an island off Venezuela's coast. The U.S. military has destroyed at least seven boats in the Caribbean's international waters and two in the Pacific, all reportedly carrying drugs destined for the United States. Trump has accused Venezuelan and Colombian leadership of facilitating these transports.
Trump stated that military actions have drastically reduced drugs entering the U.S. by sea. "Now, they’re coming in by land, and even the land is concerned because I told them that’s going to be next," he said. He suggested consulting Congress for authority to strike drug cartels and narco-terrorists on land, noting the drugs' toll: "They’re killing 300,000 people per year."
In response, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, subject to a $50 million U.S. bounty, claimed on Wednesday that his country has deployed no fewer than 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-air missiles strategically. "Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S," Maduro said, per CNN. Last week, Trump remarked that Maduro had offered "everything" to the U.S., adding, "You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States."