Venezuela has condemned a recent warning, describing it as a “colonialist threat” and labeling it the latest in a series of “extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggressions against the Venezuelan people.”

In a move that heightens tensions, President Trump announced earlier this week that initiatives aimed at curbing Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land” would commence “very soon.”

This declaration has sparked outrage in Caracas, prompting the government to prohibit airlines such as Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Chile and Brazil’s LATAM, Brazil’s GOL, and Turkish Airlines. These companies were accused of “participating in state terrorism actions promoted by the United States government.”

Venezuela air travel disruptions

The move infuriated Caracas and led it to ban the companies — Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Chile and Brazil’s LATAM, Brazil’s GOL and Turkish Airlines — for “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government.”