US F-35 Jets conduct Live-Fire training near venezuela as tensions rise: Video
United States Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters were filmed carrying live missiles and bombs during training exercises in Puerto Rico on Friday.
According to footage released by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The drills took place against a backdrop of rising tensions near Venezuelan waters.
The aircraft, from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 (VMFA-225) based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, were armed with AIM-120D and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, as well as GBU-54 laser-guided bombs. The squadron arrived in Puerto Rico on 13 September as part of an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean, officially linked to counter-narcotics operations.
SOUTHCOM stated that the exercises are intended to enhance regional security and cooperation. However, Venezuelan authorities said the jets were detected approximately 75 kilometres off their coast, condemning the flights as a “provocation.” Washington dismissed the claim, asserting that the operations were part of “routine training.”
President Donald Trump defended the deployment, describing it as “self-defence” against what he called “terrorist organisations” in Caracas. The exercises mark a new phase of heightened US military activity in the Caribbean, further straining relations with Venezuela.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
