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 said were 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.

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 said Venezuela was sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. He noted the 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.

In response, Venezuela flew two F-16 fighter jets over a US Navy destroyer, prompting Trump to warn that any Venezuelan jets putting us in a dangerous situation would be shot down.

Following this, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused US forces of boarding a Venezuelan vessel, describing it as a small, harmless fishing boat that was 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 US, along with many other nations including the UK, has not recognized the re-election of Nicolás Maduro in July 2024, with allegations suggesting he had lost the election. US officials have also accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel and are offering a reward for information leading to his capture.

Maduro has denied the accusations and has insisted on the premise of preparing Venezuelans to join militias, with public sector workers reported to be pressured into joining.