The U.S. deployed three Navy missile destroyers and around 4,000 military personnel to the waters off Venezuela in effort to thwart cartels.

Tuesday's massive operation marks a dramatic escalation in Trump's push to block fentanyl and drug pipelines fueling America’s overdose crisis. It also comes as the administration called Venezuela’s regime a "narco-terror cartel" and demanded that President Nicolás Maduro be held accountable.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Monday the deployment of 4.5 million militiamen throughout the country after the United States doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest and increased the number of troops sailing around Latin America and the Caribbean.

The U.S. is deploying 3 guided-missile destroyers to waters off Venezuela as part of President Trump's effort to combat threats from Latin American cartels.

The president has "pushed for using the U.S. military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs," said The Associated Press. As part of this military force, Trump dispatched a trio of U.

The United States is deploying three guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels

The U.S. military has also reportedly deployed several vessels to the southern Caribbean, as part of President Trump's crackdown on Latin American drug cartels.

Beijing is likely to increase its economic support for Venezuela, its only all-weather strategic partner in South America, as tensions rise between Washington and Caracas. However, analysts suggest that China will hold back on direct military aid or actions that could provoke a direct confrontation with the United States.