U.S. escalates pressure on Maduro: F-18 jets intrude into Venezuela's internal waters

The military pulse between Washington and Caracas reached a new point of tension this Tuesday after two F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the U.S. Navy entered Venezuela's internal waters, crossing the twelve nautical mile limit that defines the territorial sea, according to a report by NTN24 and confirmed by aerial tracking portals.

The aircraft, which departed from a base in the eastern Caribbean, flew over the maritime area between Falcón and Zulia, off the Paraguaná Peninsula, before turning north and leaving Venezuelan airspace.

During the maneuver, the fighter jets turned off their transponders, a common practice in tactical and reconnaissance operations.

Military analysts consulted by regional media interpret the movement as a direct show of strength within the framework of the “Operation Southern Lance,” the extensive naval and air operation deployed by the United States to curb drug trafficking in the Caribbean and increase pressure on the regime of Nicolás Maduro.

In the hours leading up to the flyover, the presence of an MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone was also detected, specialized in electronic intelligence and maritime reconnaissance, which operated off the Venezuelan coast with the capability to track communications and military movements.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Defense did not issue an official statement, although sources close to the Miraflores Palace assured local media that the incident was "a deliberate provocation."

From the Strategic Operational Command, an order would have been given to raise the alert level of the anti-aircraft batteries and coastal radars.

The Pentagon, for its part, characterized the maneuvers as part of "routine security and patrol operations in the Caribbean," without confirming the incursion into internal waters.

The action takes place at a time of increasing tension, following the announcement of the closure of Venezuelan airspace by Donald Trump and the temporary suspension of commercial and deportation flights between the two countries.

For observers, Tuesday's flights mark a new phase of sustained pressure on Caracas and demonstrate that Washington is willing to combine sanctions, isolation, and military deployment to hasten the downfall of the Chavista regime.