FAA warns about flying in Central, South America and eastern Pacific, citing possible ‘military activities’
The Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots of U.S. airlines about flying over the eastern Pacific Ocean near Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing possible “military activities” and satellite navigation interference.
The warning was issued Friday in a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) distributed by the FAA, which said, “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during overflight and the arrival and departure phases of flight.”
“The FAA issued flight advisory Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for specified areas of Mexico, Central American, Panama, Bogata, Guayaquil, and Mazatlán Oceanic Flight Regions, and in airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean,” the agency also told USA Today.
It’s unclear what prompted the advisories, which tell aircraft operators to “exercise caution.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the FAA for comment.
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The notices come after months of U.S. military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.
In November, the FAA had warned all pilots to exercise caution when flying in the airspace over Venezuela “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity.”
In December, a JetBlue flight from the Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker.
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Earlier this month, the Trump administration carried out a military operation capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
President Donald Trump also recently told Fox News that the U.S. will expand operations against drug cartels.
“We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in early January. “The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country.”
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The latest FAA notices will be in effect for 60 days.
Hegseth signs off on wounded US troops keeping bullets, shrapnel removed from their bodies after Maduro raid
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, revealed dramatic new details Wednesday about the covert Jan. 3 mission targeting Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, describing U.S. troops who continued fighting after being shot and later asking to keep the bullets and shrapnel pulled from their bodies.
In a new “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast episode, Cruz detailed a trip with fellow Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth to a San Antonio hospital to visit three of the seven soldiers wounded during Operation Absolute Resolve.
Cruz said American troops were “vastly outnumbered,” describing Cuban military members, tasked with guarding Maduro, opening fire on U.S. soldiers.
“It is an incredible testament to the precision and effectiveness of our military that not a single soldier on the American side was killed,” Cruz said. “There was a very large number of Cuban forces defending Maduro who were killed in that firefight.”
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The first soldier the politicians visited helped plan the “entire raid” and was leading one of the helicopters when he was shot in the leg, according to Cruz.
“Even in the midst of being shot in the leg, [he] continued,” Cruz said. “He did not step back from the fight, and he was critical, in terms of his location, protecting his fellow soldiers.”
During a discussion with the soldier, Cruz said Hegseth extended an offer for anything the soldier needed.
“[The soldier] said, ‘Well, actually, there is something you could do,’ and Pete says ‘what?’” Cruz said. “[The soldier] says, ‘I’d really like the bullet,’ the bullet that went into his leg.”
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Cruz explained the hospital’s medical director previously told the soldier the hospital could not hand it over to him without a waiver.
“Pete, to his credit, said, ‘The waiver is granted, you can have the bullet,’” Cruz said. “That soldier was beaming. He was thrilled to have the bullet.”
The second soldier the group met with had also been shot and cut by a piece of shrapnel, causing a gash running the entire length of his arm.
“He had the exact same request,” Cruz said. “He said, ‘I’d really like the shrapnel.’ They had the piece of metal that had cut his arm open, and again, the hospital said, ‘We have it, but we’re not allowed to give it to him without the waiver.'”
Hegseth also signed off on the second soldier’s request, according to Cruz.
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“Both of those, I assume that they’re going to frame it or otherwise keep it as just a memento to the injury, the Purple Heart that they earned fighting for their country, but also being a part of profoundly impacting history,” Cruz said.
While the names and ages of the wounded soldiers, who are now all in good condition, have not yet been publicly released, Cruz said the first soldier was a bit older than the other two, who he described as “young guys.”
“If you saw them walking down the street, you wouldn’t do a double take,” he said. “The first guy kind of looked a little like Captain America, [and] the other two looked like they were fit … but the skill that you know they have, the heroism you know they have — if you just saw them on the street, you wouldn’t immediately know that.
“With all three of the soldiers, I took an opportunity to tell them, ‘Look, you were part of history. You were part of history in a way, without exaggeration, that changed the entire Western hemisphere. What you did was profoundly important … and I took the chance on behalf of Texans and Americans just to say, ’Thank you. Thank you for your bravery.'”
Cruz added the first soldier, who was shot in the leg, had some friendly banter with the Pentagon chief.
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“Hegseth asked him, ‘How are you feeling?’ And he said, ‘I’m ready to go again,'” Cruz said. “I said, ‘Great, can you do Saturday?’ And he said, ‘Well, can we hold off till Monday?’ So, that kind of gives you a sense of the spirit [the soldiers had].”
Cruz’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
IOC rejects requests to ban the US from Winter Olympics over Venezuela strike
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to exclude the U.S. and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympics over the country’s recent military intervention in Venezuela.
The committee ruled out any penalty on the U.S. in the aftermath of the intervention.
“As a global organization, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the IOC said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The ability to bring athletes together, no matter where they come from, is fundamental to the future of values-based, truly global sport, which can give hope to the world.
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“For this reason, the IOC cannot involve itself directly in political matters or conflicts between countries, as these fall outside our remit. This is the realm of politics.”
Russian athletes are banned from competing in the Olympics since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russian invaded Ukraine just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of that year, which is a violation of the Olympic Truce clause in the IOC charter. Russia also put Ukrainian athletes there under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee.
The U.S.’s strike on Venezuela violated no such charter and has been praised by many in the international community due to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and the toppling of his regime.
The effort came after months of pressure on Venezuela as the Trump administration conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s broader initiative to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S.
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The IOC faced similar calls to exclude Israel from the Olympics over the Gaza war, but those requests were also declined as the committee stated that the country’s national Olympic committee had complied with the Olympic Charter.
However, Indonesia may face a penalty for violating the Olympic Charter, even if it doesn’t result in the exclusion of the country’s athletes from competition.
The IOC previously condemned the country for its denial of visas to Israeli athletes and declared it a breach of the international charter. All conversation about Indonesia hosting a future Olympics was terminated, and the IOC advised global organizers not to schedule any major events in the country.
The Indonesian government cited safety concerns for its decision to deny the Israel team visas, warning of potential threats within its country to the safety of the Israeli athletes and risk the safety of others.
However, Team Israel claimed its own country’s security detail determined the country was safe to enter and cleared its athletes to travel there.
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“We received authorization from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were complete — registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and Israeli Security Authorities confirmation,” the Israel Gymnastics Federation previously told Fox News Digital.
Indonesia was previously stripped of its right to host the under-20 World Cup when the governor of Bali refused to host Team Israel in a game.
Machado issues warning on Maduro successor as Trump admin handles Venezuela transition plan
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday issued a warning to the Trump administration that interim Venezuela President Delcy Rodríguez does not represent the views of the people.
“I want to insist on this: Delcy Rodriguez, yes, she’s a communist. She’s the main ally and representation of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians, but that’s not the Venezuelan people and that’s not the armed forces, as well,” Machado said while addressing a crowd at an event organized by the Heritage Foundation.
Machado said that the situation was complex as allies of Nicolás Maduro continued to do “dirty work” after his capture by the U.S. on Jan. 3. However, the opposition leader said that she is “profoundly confident” that there will be an orderly transition of power.
“This is a complex place we are right now. Some of the dirty work is being done by them, but then the result of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela, who is going to be the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas,” she said.
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The opposition leader’s comments came amid reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Rodriguez in Caracas.
Ratcliffe and Rodriguez reportedly discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and the need to ensure that Venezuela would no longer be a “safe haven for America’s adversaries.”
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On Wednesday, Rodriguez, a Maduro ally who served as his vice president, announced that the government would continue the release of political prisoners detained under Maduro in an initiative she touted as a “new political moment,” according to The Associated Press.
Just days before Rodriguez made the announcement, the interim government freed at least four U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela, marking the first known release of American prisoners since Maduro was ousted in a U.S. military operation earlier this month.
While speaking at the Heritage Foundation event, the opposition leader vowed that Venezuela would become “the best ally the United States has ever had in the Americas.” Machado said that she believes Venezuelans are cohesive and joined by shared values but have been forced by the regime to make difficult choices and suffer severe hardships.
Following the capture of Maduro on Jan. 3, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, though he did not detail further plans regarding transfers of power.
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Trump, who met with Machado on Thursday, has yet to back the opposition leader and has even expressed doubts about the amount of support she has among the people of Venezuela. Despite not having his clear support, Machado praised Trump and emphasized the critical role that he and his administration would play in the future of Venezuela.
“The only thing I want to assure the Venezuelans people is that Venezuela is going to be free and that’s going to be achieved with the support of the people of the United States and the president, Donald Trump of the United States,” Machado told the crowd at the Heritage Foundation event.
She also commented early in her remarks that the Venezuelan people were grateful for Trump and his team’s historic mission to capture Maduro. Machado said that it “took a lot of courage” to pull off the operation.
CIA director was in Venezuela to meet with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, official says
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas Thursday to meet with acting President Delcy Rodríguez and other top officials, a U.S. official told Fox News Friday.
The meeting unfolded about two weeks after the Trump administration carried out a military operation capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
A U.S. official told Reuters Ratcliffe met with Rodriguez under the direction of President Donald Trump “to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship.”
The two discussed intelligence sharing, economic stability and the need to guarantee that Venezuela is no longer a “safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narco-traffickers,” Reuters added.
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On Wednesday, Trump said he had a call with Rodríguez and later described her as a “terrific” person.
“This morning I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
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“Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
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The same day, Rodríguez announced her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of Maduro in an initiative she touted as a “new political moment,” according to The Associated Press.