WASHINGTON — Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters on Thursday, in a move the US Department of Defense called “highly provocative.”

“Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations,” the Defense Department said in a statement on X.

“The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military,” the statement continued.

CNN has reached out to the Defense Department and the White House for additional comment.

The action comes amid growing tension between Venezuela and the United States.

In recent weeks, the US military has order the deployment of more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels — many of which have been designated by the Trump administration as foreign terrorist organizations.

The increased military presence has drawn the ire of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has also announced the deployment of troops and militias, as well as a call for Venezuelans to join the Bolivarian Militia. The Trump administration has increased the bounty for the Venezuelan president to $50 million for drug trafficking.

In a significant escalation, the US on Tuesday carried out a lethal military strike against a suspected drug vessel linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, President Donald Trump announced earlier this week.

Trump said 11 people were killed in the strike in “international waters.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the strike took place in the Southern Caribbean and that the targeted boat had departed from Venezuela. — CNN