According to a report by U.S. CBS News on September 5 local time, several U.S. Department of Defense officials confirmed on that day that the Venezuelan military had flown over the U.S. "USS Jason Dunham" destroyer located in the southern Caribbean Sea for the second time in two days. Another source confirmed that the United States is dispatching F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to carry out the mission of "combating drug trafficking organizations." U.S. Defense Department officials described the current situation as a "chicken game" between the U.S. and Venezuela - in this confrontation, whoever shows weakness first will lose.

A official revealed that the two Venezuelan aircraft that flew over the U.S. destroyer were U.S.-made F-16 fighters. It is not yet clear whether these fighters were carrying weapons at the time, and the "USS Jason Dunham" was not in combat status at that time.

USS Jason Dunham, U.S. Navy

The Pentagon later confirmed the incident and stated in a statement that the act was "highly provocative," aiming to "interfere with our counter-drug trafficking terrorist operations."

When asked about the consequences if Venezuelan aircraft flew over U.S. warships again, President Trump responded on the same day, "I think they will get into trouble." He added when speaking to Defense Secretary Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, "If the other side takes a dangerous flight posture, I would say... you or the ship commanders have the right to decide how to respond on your own."

On September 4, two Venezuelan F-16 fighters armed with weapons had previously flown past the U.S. Navy's "USS Jason Dunham" destroyer. This defensive action taken on its doorstep to safeguard national security was defined by the U.S. as "show of force," further escalating the already tense relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela.

Before this, the U.S. government ordered an increase in its naval military deployments near Venezuela to "combat drug trafficking groups from Latin America." The Venezuelan government strongly opposed this. President Maduro said on September 1 that U.S. forces "eight warships carrying 1,200 missiles and a submarine are aimed at Venezuela," and stated that the country has made "maximum preparations" to defend the nation.

On September 2, the White House announced that the U.S. military had attacked a suspected drug trafficking vessel from Venezuela, and Trump said the operation resulted in 11 deaths. According to him, the drug trafficking ship was suspected to be linked to a Venezuelan drug trafficking group and accused the group of operating "under the support of Maduro."

Diosdado Cabello, the Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, responded on September 3, stating that the U.S. had been deployed in the Caribbean Sea for several days but had not conducted any so-called "anti-drug operations." The U.S. government's purpose was to overthrow the Venezuelan regime through fabricated lies. Cabello also condemned the U.S. warships firing at a Venezuelan vessel on September 2 and killing 11 people as "murder without legal procedures."

Additionally, sources informed CBS News that the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to carry out the mission of "combating drug trafficking organizations."

This article is an exclusive article from Observer, and it is not allowed to be reprinted without permission.

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