According to the Miami Herald on the 9th, two US F-18 fighter jets entered Venezuelan airspace at noon that day and remained in Venezuelan airspace for at least 40 minutes.
The report stated that the US military jets were less than 100 miles (about 161 kilometers) northeast of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second largest city, and stayed in Venezuelan airspace for at least 40 minutes at an altitude of approximately 25,000 feet (about 7,620 meters), before flying north and leaving the area.
The report also cited data from the Swedish 24-hour flight radar website, which indicated that the US military aircraft's flight traces showed they flew over the northern part of Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela, crossing over the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela. The flight path was located between Zulia and Falcón, Venezuela’s two major energy-producing states.
This incident comes at a time when US-Venezuela relations are becoming increasingly tense. US President Trump has recently stated repeatedly that the US may “soon” take action to launch a ground offensive against Venezuelan “drug traffickers.”
Recently, under the pretext of “anti-narcotics operations”, the US deployed several warships in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela to exert pressure on the country. Venezuela has repeatedly accused the US of attempting to incite regime change through military threats in Venezuela and expanding its military presence in Latin America.