Venezuelan fighter jets flying over U.S. navy destroyer 'a highly provocative move,' says Pentagon

ii Venezuelan F-16 attack aircraft jets flew o'er a U.S. Naval forces undoer in the Caribbean on Thursday, a U.S. Official told Reuters, triggering a stern U.S. Warning to Venezuela against interfering in intensifying U.S. military operations in the Caribbean.

The incident, which the Pentagon said occurred in international waters, further raises tensions just two days after a U.S. Strike killed 11 people aboard a vessel from Venezuela that President Donald Trump said was carrying illegal narcotics.

Legal experts have raised questions about the attack, despite the Trump administration's arguments that it has the authority to strike alleged members of criminal gang Tren de Aragua trafficking drugs to the United States after Washington designated it terrorist organization earlier this year.

In a terse statement confirming only the broad outlines of the incident, the Pentagon equated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government to a narco-trafficking cartel — allegations Caracas denies. Trump has accused Maduro of running Tren de Aragua.

"Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters," the Pentagon said in a statement, calling it a "highly provocative move."

"The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military."

U.S. Says 11 killed in military strike on alleged drug boat leaving Venezuela

Venezuela's Communications Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A U.S. Official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Venezuelan military aircraft were F-16s and they flew over the USS Jason Dunham.

The New York Times also cited a U.S. Defence official in its reporting that the fighter jets took a pass over the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham in the southern Caribbean Sea, adding the warship did not engage.

The Dunham is one of at least seven U.S. Warships deployed to the Caribbean, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines, in a military buildup that has drawn concern from Caracas.

U.S. Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have also been carrying out amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.

Trump's decision to blow up a suspected drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of seizing the vessel and apprehending its crew, is highly unusual and evokes memories of the U.S. Fight against militant groups like al Qaeda.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strike in comments to reporters earlier on Thursday and vowed such activities would continue, citing the threat that illegal narcotics pose to public health in the United States.

"The poisoning of the American people is over," Hegseth said.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, condemned what she called Trump's "lawless" actions in the southern Caribbean.

"Congress has not declared war on Venezuela, or Tren de Aragua, and the mere designation of a group as a terrorist organization does not give any President carte blanche to ignore Congress's clear Constitutional authority on matters of war and peace," Omar said in a statement.

The U.S.'s attack on Tuesday marked a departure in the use of the military.

Trump said in a social media post that the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, which would normally be the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept. If the Coast Guard had been fired upon when trying to stop the boat, the Coast Guard members would be justified in defending themselves, legal experts said.

However, Trump posted a video to social media that appeared to show a speeding boat being destroyed by an air strike.

The administration did not provide any evidence that the United States was under imminent threat of attack, nor did it present evidence that the vessel was armed. It also did not identify targets on the boat who were critical to an extremist attack, as past presidents have done in similar attacks.

Legal experts say that in the eyes of many people around the world, those on the boat were considered civilians and the attack will be seen as an extrajudicial killing.

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