US Violating Airspace to Spark "Incident": Venezuela
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US military aircraft are violating Venezuelan airspace to spark an "incident" that could serve as an excuse for conflict or intervention, the Venezuelan military warned Thursday.
The latest incursion occurred on Wednesday, said Juan Teixeira, the head of the Integral Aerospace Defense of National Bolivarian Armed Forces.
"The United States with its EP3 aircraft insists on creating the conditions for operational danger by once again entering the flight information zone without complying with the protocols established in international treaties," Teixeira tweeted, Xinhua news agency reported.
"This irresponsible aggression is seeking an incident," he added.
Teixeira's message was posted along with a flight map detailing the EP3's unauthorized entry into Venezuelan airspace at 12:56 p.m. local time (0456 GMT, Thursday) and exit at 14:15 (06:15 GMT, Thursday), without responding to Venezuelan flight authorities.
Admiral Craig Faller, the head of the US Southern Command, reportedly acknowledged flight violations, leaving Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza to announce on July 28 that he would denounce the US policy at the United Nations.
