For the second time in two days, Venezuela has flown military aircraft in the vicinity of the USS Jason Dunham in international waters near South America, multiple Defense Department officials confirmed to CBS News Friday, describing the action as turning into a “game of chicken.”
The aircraft, which one Defense Department official said were F-16 fighter jets, flew over the Dunham sometime overnight Thursday. It was unknown if the aircraft was armed.
The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, did not engage, the officials said. The aircraft was within weapons-range for both the aircraft and the ship, the officials added.
This comes after CBS News reported Thursday that two F-16 fighter jets also flew over the Dunham earlier that day. The Pentagon later confirmed that incident, describing it in a statement as a “highly provocative move” that “was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”
The Dunham is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in recent weeks that the Pentagon says have been deployed to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.
“I would say they’re going to be in trouble,” President Trump had told reporters Friday in response to a question of what could happen if Venezuela were to fly jets over U.S. Navy vessels again.
“If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that…you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do,” Mr. Trump said while addressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that the U.S. military carried out a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat from Venezuela that Mr. Trump said killed 11 people. The Trump administration said the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, one of several gangs that have been designated by the White House as foreign terrorist organizations.
Earlier Friday, a source familiar with the plans confirmed the U.S. is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean for operations targeting drug cartels.
