President Donald Trump drew a sharp rebuke from Venezuela after posting on Truth Social Saturday: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” He made the remark to reporters after addressing troops by video from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Venezuelan officials condemned the message as a violation of international law and a “colonialist threat” to their sovereignty, asserting that no outside authority may block or condition use of international airspace. Flight-tracking data showed aircraft continued to operate in Venezuelan airspace as of Sunday afternoon.
The post followed reporting that has prompted congressional scrutiny of Pentagon actions. The Washington Post reported — a story NPR confirmed — that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an operation in September to kill all crew members aboard a boat suspected of smuggling drugs. The U.S. military has carried out at least 21 strikes under “Operation Southern Spear,” which the administration says targets drug trafficking; reporting indicates those strikes have killed at least 82 people on vessels alleged to be smuggling drugs.
Venezuelan authorities argued such directives could amount to an explicit use of force prohibited by Article 2, paragraph 4 of the U.N. Charter. Democrats criticized the administration’s approach, saying there was insufficient evidence the targeted boats were carrying drugs before strikes were launched. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told ABC’s This Week the actions could amount to a “war crime” if the underlying claims are wrong and said officials should be held accountable.
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt, a member of the Armed Services Committee, defended the strikes on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, saying the president acted “well within his Article 2 powers” to stop drug smuggling. Schmitt described a two-part strategy: disrupting precursor chemicals coming from China and targeting cartels distributing drugs to the United States.
Members of both parties also voiced frustration that the administration carried out strikes without congressional approval. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned on X that the actions risk drawing the U.S. into another costly foreign war, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reminded followers that Congress has the sole power to declare war.