Two U.S. F-18 fighter jets flying in tandem entered Venezuelan airspace around noon Tuesday, circling over the Gulf of Venezuela in the latest show of force against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.

The flyover — carried out despite the Venezuelan regime’s possession of a number of Russian-made anti-aircraft batteries — took place less than 100 miles northeast of Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second-largest city. Thousands of Venezuelans tracked the aircraft online through specialized tracking websites, watching as the jets traced a bow-tie-shaped pattern over the gulf.

The fighters remained inside Venezuelan airspace for at least 40 minutes at an altitude of roughly 25,000 feet before heading north and leaving the area.

  • xenomor@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I hope one of the nations that we are bullying will defend themselves. I’d LOVE to see a US F18 go down. Shit, I’d like to see a carrier go down.

        • ethnss@ttrpg.network
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          2 days ago

          The Afghans did a pretty decent job.

          Poor nations don’t have to ‘beat’ the US. They just need to wear it down until it’s no longer worth the resources to continue fighting.

          • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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            2 days ago

            I mean, yes, but this “victory” came at the cost of two hundred thousand dead, God knows how many wounded, twenty years they could’ve used to develop their country and even tighter Taliban control than before the US invasion. Afghans managed to kick the US out, but they did not succeed at defending anything. If I was Venezuelan my lesson from this would be “absolutely don’t get into war with the US,” because such a war would leave their country in ruin just like Afghanistan.

          • xenomor@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            I guess. It’s frustrating that it takes so long and involves so much suffering.

            Despite the deep pockets and general indifference to casualties, I think that the American populace will react to sudden large losses. Like, we collectively don’t seem to care if 3 thousand US troops are killed during a prolonged engagement lasting years. But if 3 thousand died in a single event, like a ship sinking, people would be fucking pissed. A lot of that anger would be channeled into a desire for retaliation. Some of it would also be directed at the leadership that put that ship in harms way.

        • Bristlecone@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          I also wish us (the US) bad things right now, my person. The piggish nature of America will only be seen by our ignorant civilians when they experience personal pain and suffering. We joke about how republikkkans only care when something affects them directly, but I’m starting to realize just how directly and how much of an impact it actually has to make for even that much to be true

    • Ember James@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      You hope to see the US enter full scale war after instigating another country into defending itself?

      That is what will happen if anyone takes a shot at those planes, hence why they weren’t shot down.

      • xenomor@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I am fully aware of this, and no, I don’t want to see a smaller country get crushed by the US war machine. I just want to see the US take losses at some point. I’m hopeful that some smaller power will figure out a way to actually defend themselves and to actually hurt us.

      • Insekticus@aussie.zone
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        2 days ago

        Then the U.S should stay the fuck out of other countries. World’s biggest military ready to be taken over by the world’s biggest fuckwit and his idiot cronies.

        The U.S. needs to be brought down a few pegs to where they belong.

        • foggenbooty@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          I don’t think you really understand the situation. It’s a bully taunting. They want you to take a swing. Your reaction plays right into their hand.

          • Insekticus@aussie.zone
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            2 days ago

            I do. So what’s your response? Lay down and let the bullying beat you until you’re dead?

            America has already broken their airspace and is randomly killing their civilians without any repercussions, and the world is just sitting idly by while it happens.

            • frongt@lemmy.zip
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              2 days ago

              For now, yes. They’re trying to get OPEC to ally with them for defense.

            • xenomor@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              I agree. At some point someone has to figure out a way to go after the US. I don’t know what that is.

              • foggenbooty@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                Going after the US and falling for one of their provocations are two totally different things. I’m not condoning this in any way, but look at Osama Bin Laden as a case study. With a handfull of people he sent the US spiraling down such that they still haven’t recovered over 20+ years later. He would not have gotten anything like that through conventional means like shooting at planes. The US has become a shell of what it was in 2001, and while it was a horrible act which can’t be condoned, it must have been an incredible success in his eyes, far more so than he had thought possible.

                Rambling aside, all I’m saying is you don’t win against the strongest military in the world in a fair fight. Asymmetric warfare means taking your time and thinking outside the box.

    • demonsword@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I hope one of the nations that we are bullying will defend themselves.

      your country is deliberately targetting countries that cannot do that

      • xenomor@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I agree. We fucking suck. Maybe some kind of coalition of nations can build a meaningful opposition to us.

    • eldoom@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      Isn’t that like almost exactly how USA got involved in the Vietnam war? They parked a ship just in provocation range then bombed the ever living hell out of the general area when they tried to defend themselves?