President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be regarded as “closed in its entirety.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump communicated: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”

This declaration follows the President’s statement earlier this week that the United States would conduct strikes inside Venezuela “very soon” targeting what he and his Administration have alleged are widespread drug trafficking networks within the country.

However, these claims have been interspersed with threats to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump Administration has consistently regarded as illegitimate.

The U.S. has been carrying out strikes against boats it claims are operated by cartel members transporting drugs in the Caribbean since early September. For weeks, Trump has threatened to expand these strikes into Venezuela. According to the Administration, at least 80 individuals have been killed in these operations.

Trump provided his strongest indication yet that strikes inside Venezuela were imminent during a Thanksgiving phone call with service members on Thursday. 

“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump informed service members, according to a transcript. 

“You probably noticed that people are reluctant to deliver by sea, and we’ll begin stopping them by land as well,” the president continued. “The land route is simpler, but that will commence very soon.”

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration advised airlines operating over Venezuela to “exercise caution” due to the “potentially hazardous situation” in the region. 

“Operators are advised to exercise caution when operating in the Maiquetia flight information region at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela,” the FAA stated.

These heightened tensions emerge amidst tentative signs of a warming relationship between Trump and Maduro, as the New York Times reported Friday that the two leaders discussed the prospect of a meeting in the United States last week.

Should such a meeting materialize, the newspaper observed, it would mark the inaugural encounter between the authoritarian leader and a U.S. president.

During his first term in office, Trump tried unsuccessfully to oust Maduro from power. Since commencing his second term, he has denied seeking regime change—though these denials are becoming less forceful. Trump has accused Maduro of being an illegitimate president following an election that most independent observers questioned the results. He has also alleged, without presenting proof, that Maduro leads the organized crime gang Tren de Aragua, and blamed him for the trafficking of fentanyl-laced drugs into the United States. In August, the reward for information leading to Maduro’s apprehension was increased to $50 million.

Analysts and legal experts have questioned the legality of the boat strikes, which have been conducted without congressional approval.

For several months now, the Trump Administration has been augmenting military forces in the region. Last month, the Pentagon deployed 10 F-35s to Puerto Rico. The U.S.S. Gerald Ford, considered the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, recently joined eight warships and approximately 10,000 troops already stationed in the region. 

Furthermore, Trump authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to execute clandestine operations in Venezuela. Maduro directly addressed this disclosure, characterizing the action as a “desperate” effort to achieve regime change.

This remains a developing story.