The bomber flight -- which President Donald Trump later falsely claimed did not occur -- comes as Washington carries out a military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region, deploying forces that have sparked fears in Caracas that regime change is the ultimate goal.
Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed a B-1B flying toward the Venezuelan coast on Thursday afternoon before making a U-turn and heading north, after which it disappeared from view.
Asked during a White House event about reporting that the United States had sent B-1Bs near Venezuela, Trump responded that "it's false," while adding the United States is "not happy with Venezuela for a lot of reasons."
The latest flight came about a week after US-based B-52 bombers circled off Venezuela's coast for several hours.
The US military described that mission as a demonstration of Washington's commitment "to proactively deter adversary threats, enhance crew training, and ensure the global force readiness necessary to respond to any contingency or challenge."
The United States has deployed stealth warplanes and Navy ships as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts, but has yet to release evidence that its targets -- eight boats and a semi-submersible -- were smuggling drugs.
The US strikes, which began on September 2, have killed at least 37 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures.
Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign, with Venezuela accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who said Wednesday that his country has 5,000 Russian man-portable surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces.
Bolsonaro's son urges US to bomb narco boats in Rio
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (AFP) Oct 23, 2025 -
Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, on Thursday urged the United States to bomb boats in Rio de Janeiro to fight drug trafficking, as it has done in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Washington has deployed stealth warplanes and Navy ships in the Caribbean as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts, destroying nine vessels and killing at least 37 people, according to US figures.
President Donald Trump's government alleges the boats were involved in drug trafficking, although it has not shared evidence to back that assertion and some family members of those killed say they were innocent fishermen.
Flavio Bolsonaro said he was "envious" in a post on the X social media platform responding to one by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, featuring a video of the moment a boat sailing at sea is hit by a missile and set ablaze.
"I heard there are boats like this here in Rio de Janeiro, in Guanabara Bay, flooding Brazil with drugs. Wouldn't you like to spend a few months here helping us fight these terrorist organizations?"
Trump last week said he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and was considering strikes against alleged drug cartels on land.
The US actions -- which killed at least one Colombian -- have also enraged that country's leftist President Gustavo Petro and shattered ties between Washington and Bogota.
Petro said Trump was "carrying out extrajudicial executions" that "violate international law" by striking alleged drug-trafficking boats.
Washington has not released evidence to support its assertion that the targets of its strikes are drug smugglers, and experts say the summary killings are illegal even if they hit confirmed narcotics traffickers.
The Bolsonaro family has close ties to Trump.
The former president was sentenced last month to 27 years in prison over a botched coup attempt in what Trump said was a "witch hunt" against his ally.
Another son of the former president, Eduardo, lobbied hard for Washington to impose punitive tariffs on Brazil and sanctions against top officials.
However, tensions between Brasilia and Washington have thawed in recent weeks with a potential meeting on the cards between Trump and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a summit starting this weekend in Malaysia.
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