Threat? besides do an Military high tech reconancense with some valuable information is certainly threatenig, because it can intercept comunication, and if you add this to the popular incitement...well its deffinatly not good.
that's not the first time an USA Military Plane does an ilegal flight over some south american nation, even here in Brazil an US EP-3 Aries did an flight over our biggest gold and native people reserve it simply wasn't intercepted, i must say this was quite ofensive here, specially because it was an reconnaissance aircraft over our treasure, what was the real intention of this ?
i remember you that's not the first time an USA aircraft is intercepted over venezuela, 2 years ago an S-3 Viking, did the same and the pilot, there is an Video on youtube where an venezuelan F-16 intercepts an U-2!.
i wonder what would US feel if some other nation military plane did flight their mainlaind , specially if it was an reconnaissance plane, with nowadays media you bet this would be a act of war, i'm not sure but US never had an foreing military plane flying over their mainland unauthorized., what seems to not be the same when you say US flying over other nations.
Chavez can be the worse person in the world, but this does not give the US right of inflame the situation, could you even imagine if some missorder is done by any pilot? that would be craptastic....something like an shotdown if for one side an plane wich is not intercepted can cause a huge problem in internal society like...''why they did violate our sovereignty and go unpunished ?'' and if goes actually shot, this is a direct act of war.
I did not conccur with chavez ideas, acts ,personal strikes and US sovereignty rapes s but last thing i want see here is war.
so i say, its pretty threatening in a unstable country like venezuela.