(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Friday, stating that Venezuelan military aircraft approaching US naval vessels would be "shot down." Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “I would say they’re going to be in trouble. We'll let them know about that … if they fly in a dangerous position.” His comments followed an incident the previous day when two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets allegedly “flew near” a US warship in the Caribbean Sea.

The US Department of Defense condemned the move as "highly provocative" and warned the Venezuelan government against interfering with US counter-narcotics or counter-terrorism operations in the region.

Trump reiterated the US's firm stance on combating drug trafficking from Venezuela and other nations. “We don’t want drugs coming in from Venezuela or anybody else, or any place else, so we’ll be tough on that,” he declared.

When asked whether the US sought to orchestrate regime change in Venezuela, Trump responded cautiously, saying, “Well, we’re not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election, which was a very strange election. To put it mildly, I’m being very nice when I say that.”

The president also alleged that Venezuelan prisons have been “opened up to our country,” citing the presence of members from the Tren de Aragua, a notorious transnational criminal gang, in the US.

Trump’s administration has previously moved to escalate military pressure on Latin American drug cartels, signing an executive order aimed at increasing the use of force. As part of this strategy, a US naval group, including seven warships and a submarine, was deployed to Caribbean waters near Venezuela on August 28.

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