President Donald Trump warned Friday that Venezuelan planes could be shot down if they put U.S. forces in what he called a \u201cdangerous position.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warning came after the Pentagon said two Venezuelan fighter planes flew near a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in international waters this week. The incident occurred as the United States expands its military presence in the southern Caribbean.<\/p>\n
The latest escalation follows a U.S. strike on a vessel tied to the Venezuelan-linked Tren de Aragua gang. The administration said 11 people were killed in that operation.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon described the flight of the two planes as \u201chighly provocative\u201d and cautioned Caracas not to interfere with U.S. counter-narcotics and counterterrorism operations.<\/p>\n
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office about the possibility of further encounters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I would say they\u2019re gonna be in trouble,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard that happened, but it wasn\u2019t really over, not like they described. But I would say general, if they do that, you have a choice of doing anything you want. OK? If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that you can, you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Asked how close the Venezuelan planes had gotten, Trump declined to provide details.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to talk about that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if they do put us in a dangerous position, they\u2019ll be shot down.\u201d<\/p>\n