Two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday, according to multiple Defense Department officials who described the action as a "show of force."

The Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, is among a flotilla of U.S. warships dispatched to the region in recent weeks that the Pentagon says have been deployed to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.

CBS News was unable to determine what actions the USS Jason Dunham took, if any, in response to the flyover.

Following the publication of CBS News' story, the Defense Department confirmed in a statement on X that two Venezuelan aircraft "flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters."

"This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror opera

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