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DONALD Trump has threatened to shoot down Venezuelan jets flying over US warships if they "put us in a dangerous position".
The chilling escalation came after Nicolas Maduro's F-16s swooped over an American destroyer for a second time as Trump warned the regime was "in trouble".
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The Don has already deployed eight US naval destroyers to the despot's waters as part of his all-out war against drug-peddling cartels.
When asked how close the jets got to the vessel, Trump said he didn't want to reveal those details and said: "If they do put us in a dangerous position, they'll be shot down."
Trump was also asked what he would do if Maduro flew jets over his destroyers again, to which he replied: "I would say they're going to be in trouble."
The latest swoop over USS Jason Dunham was slammed by US officials who branded the teetering conflict a "game of chicken".
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He added: "If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that… you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do."
It comes after Trump blitzed a drug-smuggling boat which he said was carrying members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang earlier this week.
The deadly strike killed 11 people on board and marked a huge escalation before he declared full-scale war against the cartels.
The latest development adds to the simmering tensions between Washington and Caracas which kicked off at the start of Trump's term when he vowed to destroy the cartels.
He made sure that multiple gangs, including Tren de Aragua, were branded "terrorist organisations" - a move he says gives him legitimacy to strike and kill drug smugglers.
On Friday, it was reported the White House sent 10 F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean to help with the counter-narco operations.
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Washington has already ordered the deployment of more than 4,000 soldiers and eight US naval destroyers to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean.
Sitting on the edge of Venezuela's territorial waters are USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson.
After the first flyover, the White House blasted in a statement which read: “Today two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near to a US Navy vessel in international waters.
"This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our narco terror operations."
They also warned the cartel to back down and not pursue any further attempts to obstruct their military presence to combat cartels.
The F-16 can reach blistering speeds of up to 1,319mph, and carry deadly missiles as well as a six-barrel cannon.
Meanwhile its opponent on two occasions now, USS Jason Dunham, weighs a hulking 9,200 tons and is over 500ft long - also equipped with missiles and a naval gun.
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The first day of Trump's second term kicked off with the designation of narcotraffickers as terrorists - giving him the right to kill them before they can reach American shores.
This is the argument he has used in the face of law experts warning that his decision to strike a suspected drug-smuggling boat on Tuesday was illegal.
Washington-watchers claim that the gangsters should have been arrested - but the White House says that law enforcement is ineffective.
Trump vowed after the blitz: "There's more where that came from."
The US President has long spoken of his desire to enact force to take on drug cartels, which he accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of actively backing.
Maduro has denied the allegations, and the last few months have seen teetering escalations deteriorate into a tense standoff.
The US has positioned naval destroyers and soldiers around Maduro's waters, while the Venezuelan dictator has ordered mass mobilisation of over four million troops.
Following the deadly boat blitz on Tuesday, Trump said: "There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that.
"Obviously, they wont be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people wont be doing it again."
He also warned: "There's more where that came from."
Meanwhile Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned following the boat attack: "We've got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships.
"Because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won't, it won't stop with just this strike."
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President Trump accuses Maduro of "mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere".
He says the Venezuelan tyrant is actively backing cartels and funding them.
In response, the Venezuelan President ordered mass mobilisation of over four million troops last month.
Maduro has also hit back claiming Trump is seeking regime change, declaring: "In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela."
The tit for tat escalation started with a $50million bounty on Maduro offered by Washington.
On top of this, $700million worth of assets with alleged links to Maduro have been seized since August - including luxury goods and private jets.
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English (US) · 