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The Federal Aviation Administration in the United States yesterday warned all pilots to “exercise caution” when flying in the airspace over Venezuela “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity” around the country.

The message said the unspecified threats “could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes” as well as planes taking off and landing in the country, and even aircraft on the ground.

The warning comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US military has conducted bomber flights up to the coast of Venezuela, sometimes as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack, and sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford into the region.