Venezuela says U.S. warplanes spotted off its coast

Venezuela’s air defense systems detected at least five U.S. warplanes near the country’s coast, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said, according to Bloomberg.

“I condemn this military provocation before the whole world. This is a major threat,” Padrino said, without specifying when the flights took place or whether the planes violated Venezuelan airspace.

He added that President Nicolas Maduro had ordered a response, though details were not disclosed.

Earlier in September, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the destruction of a Venezuelan vessel carrying narcotics, killing 11 members of the Tren de Aragua cartel, which Washington has designated a terrorist organization. The U.S. carried out two further strikes later in September on ships linked to drug trafficking, which Trump said killed six people in total.

In August, Maduro announced a nationwide mobilization of the Bolivarian National Militia amid rising U.S. military presence.