CARACAS — President Donald Trump repeated his pledge to strike Venezuelan drug traffickers on land “very soon,” prompting a group of Democratic and Republican senators to file a war powers resolution on Wednesday that would require the administration to obtain congressional approval for military action against the Latin American country.
After being provided a summary, lawmakers have also asked for a full version of the Pentagon order covering the administration’s campaign to strike vessels alleged to be carrying narcotics in the Caribbean. Troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 83 people.
What the numbers show
Flight patterns reflect the rising tensions: The number of flights crossing Venezuelan airspace dropped by about half starting November 22 after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned that flying over the country could be hazardous. Flight-path data from late November and early December illustrates how planes that normally fly over the country have been diverted.
The map above shows the flight paths of three diverted planes out of the many affected.
Trump said last weekend that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered entirely closed, though a migrant repatriation flight from the U.S. landed near Caracas on Wednesday, Venezuela’s foreign minister said.
What’s next
A war powers resolution must be called up for a vote in a matter of days, under Senate rules.
As Trump escalates the military buildup in the Caribbean against Nicolas Maduro’s government, the Venezuelan president is running out of options to step down and leave the country under U.S.-guaranteed safe passage.
By REUTERS
Editing by Yasmeen Serhan and Cynthia Osterman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.