U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his accusation that Venezuela is sending gang members and drugs to the United States, which he said was not acceptable.
Tension has been high between the two countries since the U.S. deployed warships to the Southern Caribbean on what officials said were counter-narcotics operations.
As part of that deployment, the U.S. launched an attack on a boat said to be carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing all 11 people on board.
Asked by a journalist on Sunday whether the U.S. would now start doing strikes on mainland Venezuela, Trump answered: We'll see what happens.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, the president reiterated that Venezuela was sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs.
He claimed maritime traffic in the Southern Caribbean had reduced significantly since the first strike.
Experts raised questions about the legality of the 2 September attack on the alleged drug boat, suggesting that it may have violated international law.
Venezuela responded by flying two F-16 fighter jets over a U.S. Navy destroyer two days later.
This prompted Trump to warn that any Venezuelan jets putting us in a dangerous situation would be shot down.
After a brief lull, tensions rose again on Saturday when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused U.S. forces of boarding a Venezuelan vessel.
Gil described the vessel, which he called a small, harmless fishing boat, as having been seized illegally and hostilely for eight hours.
In a statement, the Venezuelan foreign ministry alleged that those who ordered the seizure were looking for an incident to justify escalating war in the Caribbean, with the aim of regime change in Caracas.
The U.S. and many other nations, including the UK, have not recognized the re-election of Nicolás Maduro in July 2024, pointing to evidence suggesting that his rival Edmundo González won the election by a landslide.
U.S. officials have also accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel called the Cartel of the Suns and are offering a reward of $50m (£37m) for information leading to his capture.
Maduro has denied the allegations, labeling the U.S. actions as an imperialist move aimed to depose him.
He has called on Venezuelans to enlist in the militia, a force made up of civilians which has historically been used to bolster numbers at political rallies and parades. Public sector workers have reported being pressured into joining the militia.
