The flyover happened Tuesday and appears the\u00a0closest known approach by American aircraft to Venezuela’s coastline<\/strong>\u00a0since the Pentagon began a major buildup in the Caribbean several months ago, which has also seen over 20 deadly drone and aerial strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats.<\/p>\n The F\/A-18s only increased their presence in the southern Caribbean region following the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group. US B-52 bombers have also been flying over the area, deploying from deep within the United States.<\/p>\n A US defense official confirmed to the\u00a0Associated Press<\/em>\u00a0that the jets entered the Gulf of Venezuela, dubbing the maneuver a\u00a0“routine training mission”<\/strong>\u00a0– but didn’t disclose whether the jets were armed.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0Military Times<\/em><\/a>, “Public flight tracking websites showed a pair of U.S. Navy F\/A-18 fighter jets fly over the Gulf – a body of water bounded by Venezuela and only about 150 miles at its widest point – and\u00a0spend more than 30 minutes flying over water<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n The Navy fighters were accompanied by electronic warfare jets, and the group were broadcasting their positions, and so they were intended to\u00a0be seen<\/a>:<\/p>\n In addition to the F\/A-18s, a pair of Navy\u00a0EA-18G Growler<\/a>\u00a0electronic warfare jets, with the callsigns Grizzly 1 and Grizzly 2, were also tracked flying orbits in the Caribbean just north of the Gulf of Venezuela. One of the Navy\u2019s\u00a0MQ-4C Triton<\/a>\u00a0maritime surveillance drones also flew a mission further out in the Caribbean opposite Venezuela\u2019s coastline at around the same time. It is highly probable that other U.S. military aircraft were also operating in the same broad area, but were not visible online.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The War Zone<\/em>\u00a0writes that “the pairing of F\/A-18s with EA-18Gs positioned at a distance is precisely the configuration expected in real strike operations against targets in Venezuela.”<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pentagon chief\u00a0Pete Hegseth informed congressional leaders Tuesday that he’s\u00a0still mulling whether to release the complete footage of a Sept. 2 strike\u00a0<\/strong>on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel that left two survivors dead, despite mounting pressure from lawmakers demanding transparency.<\/p>\n Topping our most track flights list right now: a pair of US Navy F\/A-18s over the Gulf of Venezuela.\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/pCIB1qQdSg<\/a>\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/8Nt548B0mB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Flightradar24 (@flightradar24)\u00a0December 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Hegseth delivered a classified briefing to top members of Congress alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior national security officials. When pressed over whether all Congressional members will be able to view the footage, Hegseth replied that the matter “still needs to be reviewed.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/inline-images\/superhortents.jpeg?itok=uuAFeT1O\")
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