US 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 US deployed warships to the Southern Caribbean on what officials described as counter-narcotics operations.
As part of that deployment, the US launched an attack on a boat said to be carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing all 11 people on board.
When asked by a journalist on Sunday whether the US would now start doing strikes on mainland Venezuela, Trump answered: We'll see what happens.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, the president claimed that Venezuela was sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs.
He noted a significant reduction in maritime traffic in the Southern Caribbean since the first strike.
Experts have raised questions about the legality of the 2 September attack on the alleged drug boat, suggesting that it may have violated international law.
In response to increasing tensions, Venezuela flew two F-16 fighter jets over a US Navy destroyer shortly after the attack.
This led Trump to issue a warning that any Venezuelan jets putting us in a dangerous situation would be shot down.
After a brief lull, tensions intensified when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused US forces of boarding a Venezuelan vessel, which he characterized as a small, harmless fishing boat, describing the action as illegal and hostile.
The Venezuelan foreign ministry claimed that the seizure was a provocation aimed at justifying military escalation in the Caribbean, with the goal of regime change in Caracas.
The US and many other countries, including the UK, have not recognized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's re-election in July 2024, alleging that his rival, Edmundo González, won the election by a landslide.
US officials have further accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel known as the Cartel of the Suns, offering a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Maduro has denied these allegations, calling them an imperialist move against his regime and urging Venezuelans to join the militia, a civilian force traditionally used to bolster numbers at political events.
