Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez stated that the country’s air defense systems detected five fighter jets, believed to be F-35s, within Venezuelan airspace.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said: “In the Maiquetia flight information region, we detected more than five fighter jets flying at 400 knots at an altitude of 35,000 feet. These are fighter jets that North American imperialism dared to bring close to Venezuelan shores.”

He added: “This is audacity and provocation, a threat to national security,” noting that “information about the presence of military aircraft was confirmed by pilots of an international airline, who reported seeing F-35 jets off the Caribbean coast.”

The minister confirmed he had never witnessed such a deployment before, saying: “We know that F-35 jets are stationed in Puerto Rico, but as they approach Venezuelan territory – we want them to know that we are monitoring this and we do not fear it.”

He warned the United States of the dangers of “miscalculation” and affirmed that the country is ready to repel any aggression, reminding that the armed forces are carrying out their mission to “defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Earlier, the site “Semafor” quoted a senior US administration official saying that “Washington does not rule out a military operation against Venezuela as part of the fight against drug cartels.”

Additionally, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announced earlier that President Nicolas Maduro signed a decree allowing the declaration of a state of emergency if Venezuela is subjected to a military attack by the United States.