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Caracas.- Venezuela demanded this Thursday that the U.S. cease what it calls a "warmongering" stance, after denouncing an "illegal incursion of combat aircraft" from the North American country 75 kilometers off its coasts, in the Caribbean Sea, a fact that, it announced, it will denounce before the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and other instances such as Celac.
"Venezuela demands that the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, immediately cease his reckless, adventurous, and warmongering stance, which seeks to undermine the peace zone of Latin America and the Caribbean and endangers regional stability," said the Executive of Nicolás Maduro in a statement.
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The Chavista administration "strongly rejected the incursion" of those aircraft which, it pointed out, were detected on October 2 "within the Flight Information Region (FIR) of Maiquetía", which, moreover, was identified by the Integral Aerospace Defense Command (Codai). In Caracas's view, this maneuver, also sighted by a "Colombian airline", represents "a provocation that threatens national sovereignty and contravenes the norms of international law and the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation." "This serious report is added to other similar illegal incursions previously recorded and already denounced by the Bolivarian Government, which constitutes a pattern of harassment that cannot be tolerated," reads the text signed by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs. In that sense, Venezuela assured that "it will not accept intimidation or aggression from any foreign power" and that "it will fully exercise its right to defend national sovereignty, in accordance with international law." "The Bolivarian National Armed Forces will remain on permanent alert with its Integrated Aerospace Defense System," he indicated. In addition, he announced that he will report the incident to the UN, the Security Council, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in order, he affirmed, that "the necessary measures are adopted to prevent the repetition of these illegal and dangerous actions". Previously, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, had denounced the "military harassment" by "combat aircraft" near the Venezuelan coasts. According to the official, the presence of "more than five vectors" was detected with "flight characteristics of 400 knots and flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet". The U.S. has deployed at least eight warships in the region and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, as well as more than 4,500 soldiers, as part of an operation in the Caribbean Sea. It has also sent latest-generation F-35B fighter jets to Puerto Rico. Venezuela denounces this mobilization as a threat against it and as part of a plan to bring about a "regime change" in the country.
