Pentagon says two Venezuelan fighter jets flew over Naval ship to ‘interfere’ with US operations

The Department of Defense on Thursday night said two Venezuelan fighter jets flew over a United States Naval ship while it was in international waters in order to interfere with American operations. 

The armed fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday, which is an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, according to CBS News. The Dunham is one of a group of U.S. warships that have been deployed recently to help eliminate criminal organizations and combat narco-terrorism.

The Venezuelan flyby comes after President Donald Trump directed a missile strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug ship earlier this week, destroying the vessel and killing all 11 people on board. 

“Today, two [Nicolas] Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters,” the Defense Department said on X. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. 

“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military,” the department added.

It is not clear if the U.S. ship took any action to prompt the Venezuelan response.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.