JUST IN: Trump Declares Airspace Above Venezuela ‘CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY’

President Donald Trump said on Saturday morning that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered closed, a warning shot that a long-threatened strike on the Venezuela homeland could be impending.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump: Truth Social

The message comes as the president threatens military action against Venezuela and the administration continues to execute strikes on drug boats off the Latin American country’s coast.

So far, 21 U.S. strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean have killed at least 83 people, according to Axios. On Thanksgiving, Trump told service members that strikes on land will be starting “very soon.”

“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump said.

“You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” the president continued. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”

“We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country,” Trump added.

Trump has notably designated Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro as a leader of the Cartel de Los Soles. The State Department designated the cartel a foreign terrorist organization, according to a notice published on November 16 in the Federal Register.

Trump administration officials say their goal is to deter drug smuggling, but have also made clear that they want to see Maduro removed from power. Trump, according to the New York Times, spoke by phone with the Venezuelan leader to discuss a potential meeting.

Yesterday, Trump posted on Truth Social about recent elections in Honduras, endorsing the National Party’s Nasry Asfura over political rivals that are aligned with Maduro.

“Will Maduro and his Narcoterrorists take over another country like they have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela?” Trump said. “The man who is standing up for Democracy, and fighting against Maduro, is Tito Asfura, the Presidential Candidate of the National Party.”

Related: Trump Plans To Speak Directly With Venezuelan Dictator As Drug Boat Strikes Continue