The US has reported carrying out 13 strikes since September on vessels near the Venezuelan coast and more recently, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing more than 60 people, according to the US Secretary of Defense, as it escalates a military buildup in the Caribbean Sea.
Venezuela's illegitimate government has said the strikes are, "illegal, amount to murder and are an aggression against the country."
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has shored up his security powers and deployed tens of thousands of troops around the country, has also accused Donald Trump of seeking regime change, an allegation the US president has downplayed.
In September, the US built up its military presence in the Caribbean - including a nuclear submarine and a group of warships accompanying the world's largest aircraft carrier - prompting Maduro to shore up security powers and deploy tens of thousands of troops around the country.
Here is a list of the strikes:
September 2 - The US military killed 11 people in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, Trump said, in the first known operation since his administration deployed warships to the southern Caribbean.
September 15 - Trump said that the US military carried out a strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel vessel heading to the United States. He said three men were killed in the strike, adding that it occurred in international waters.
September 19 - Trump said the United States attacked a vessel carrying drugs, killing three men.
October 3 - The United States killed four people in a strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs just off the coast of Venezuela, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
October 14 - A US strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela killed six suspected drug traffickers, Trump said.
October 16 - The US military carried out a strike against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a US official told Reuters.
October 17 - Three people were killed in a strike. Colombian President Gustavo Petro disputed Hegseth’s claim the boat belonged to the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, saying it was the property of a "humble family." The ELN has also rejected Hegseth’s claim.
October 21 - Five people were killed in strikes against two vessels in the eastern Pacific, Hegseth said, alleging they were drug smugglers. The strike was the first known US military operation in the Pacific since Trump’s administration kicked off its new anti-drug campaign.
October 24 - Six people were killed in the Caribbean, Hegseth said, alleging the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.
October 27 - 14 people were killed in three US strikes against vessels the US alleged transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific, which left one survivor. Mexican authorities took over the search-and-rescue operation for the lone survivor, Hegseth said. Four days later, Mexico’s Navy said it was suspending the search operation.
October 29 - Four men were killed in a strike in the Eastern Pacific, Hegseth said, alleging it was a drug vessel.
November 1 - Three men were killed aboard a vessel in the Caribbean, Hegseth said, saying it was operated by a drug trafficking organisation.
November 4 - Two men were killed in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, in what Hegseth said was a drug trafficking vessel.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Julia Symmes-Cobb; Editing by Alistair Bell)
