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 government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The flyover -- carried out despite the Venezuelan government'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.

The U.S. fighter jets flew between two key region

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