US B-1B Bombers Conduct Flight Near Venezuela in Show of Force

Several strategic bombers of the US Air Force's B-1B Lancer type have carried out a flight near Venezuela. According to local media, this is the third show of force by the American side this month.

As the Air & Space Forces magazine notes, the mission was carried out within the framework of the campaign against "drug cartels" and the government of Nicolás Maduro, which Washington does not recognize as legitimate. The bombers took off from Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, and their movement was visible on open flight monitoring platforms, which indicates that the operation was not concealed.

In parallel with these maneuvers, the US is strengthening its military presence in the region. Recently, the aircraft carrier "Gerald R. Ford" and the destroyer "USS Gravely" were sent to Latin America. In addition, attack helicopters and MQ-9 Reaper type unmanned aerial vehicles are carrying out flights from air bases in Puerto Rico.

It should be noted that earlier, information had been spread in the media about the sending of B-1 bombers to the Venezuelan border, but US President Donald Trump had stated that these reports did not correspond to reality.