WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are rising following a string of military moves and allegations linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

The standoff intensified when U.S. President Donald Trump announced the deployment of 10 additional F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, part of a growing buildup targeting Latin American drug cartels, Reuters reported on Friday.

The jets joined U.S. warships already deployed in the Caribbean, including guided-missile destroyers and amphibious assault ships carrying thousands of sailors and Marines.

The military expansion followed a U.S. strike last Tuesday that destroyed a boat allegedly operated by Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang, which Washington designated as a terrorist group earlier this year. The strike killed 11 people and marked a rare instance of direct U.S. military action in Latin America.

"The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States," Trump said on social media platform Truth Social, although no details of the cargo have been released.

Venezuelan officials questioned the authenticity of video footage of the strike shared by Trump, with Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez suggesting on social media that it might have been generated with artificial intelligence.

Three days after the U.S. strike, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and urged Trump to engage in dialogue to avoid conflict.

Maduro denounced the U.S. operation as "unlawful." He accused Washington of fabricating drug trafficking claims to justify its regime change attempt, insisting that Venezuela is free of coca cultivation and cocaine production.

"The government of the United States should abandon its plan of violent regime change in Venezuela and in all of Latin America and respect sovereignty, the right to peace, to independence," Maduro said on Venezuelan state television.

In response, Trump said Friday that the United States is not talking about regime change, but compared drug-related deaths of Americans to wartime casualties.

Venezuela's opposition force has portrayed the U.S. posture as evidence that Maduro's rule is weakening. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told Fox News Channel that Washington had taken the "right approach" to confronting the Venezuelan government.

On Sunday, Maduro announced the deployment of 25,000 troops to coastal and border regions, more than doubling forces previously stationed in the states of Zulia and Tachira bordering Colombia.

Trump is still weighing options for military action against drug cartels inside Venezuela, including potential strikes on its territory, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple sources. ■