“Show of Force.” US B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent to the coast of Venezuela

The Trump administration has suddenly stepped up military pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's authoritarian president, with a heavy display of air threats in recent days as the Pentagon concentrates major troops in the region, US media reports.

At least two B-52 bombers from Louisiana flew off the Venezuelan coast in international airspace for several hours on Wednesday, in what a senior US official called “a show of force” on Thursday, according to The New York Times.

Also in recent days, an elite Special Operations Army aviation unit has been flying in the southern Caribbean Sea near the coast of Venezuela.

According to CBS, the US military sent three B-52 bombers on missions near the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, information confirmed by a spokesman for the Global Strike Command (a major US Air Force command responsible for nuclear deterrence and long-range conventional strike operations) and a US official.

Data provided by the website Flightradar24 shows that the planes flew over the Caribbean Sea on Wednesday, flying about 240 km north of Venezuela, according to ABC News.

Bombers used in wars

The B-52 is a long-range bomber capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons, according to the Air Force. It was used extensively in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The mission follows a months-long escalation of military activity in the waters off Venezuela. President Trump has deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones to the area. In total, about 10,000 US troops are deployed in the Caribbean region, either on ships or in Puerto Rico, according to CBS News.

Military operations in the region are led by Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of the US Southern Command, who unexpectedly announced on Thursday that he plans to retire less than a year after taking the post, ABC News notes.

The military has also carried out airstrikes on at least six suspected drug-carrying vessels near Venezuela since last month. On Wednesday, Trump acknowledged that he had authorized covert CIA operations in the South American country and said his administration was considering strikes on land-based drug traffickers.

Sixth attack on a boat

The latest deadly attack, the sixth, was launched Thursday on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean Sea, according to ABC News. A US official, who confirmed the information initially reported by the Reuters news agency, said there were survivors among the crew members.

The White House has defended these extraordinary military operations as necessary to stem the tide of drugs entering the US.

“President Trump believes that Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate president who leads an illegitimate regime involved in drug trafficking,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

But experts say that while Maduro is complicit in drug trafficking, much of the drugs entering the U.S. come from Mexico and Pacific shipping routes, not the Caribbean Sea, which is better known for transporting drugs to Europe.

Helicopters for a possible ground mission

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, attack helicopters MH-6 Little Bird and MH-60 Black Hawks flew in the vicinity of the coasts of Venezuela, near oil and gas platforms.

A US official confirmed Thursday that a special operations air unit did indeed conduct training exercises in international waters near Venezuela earlier this month.

These types of aircraft involved during the training exercise may be used for a potential ground mission. However, the US official told ABC News that the unit was conducting training flights to maintain proficiency and not to repeat a specific mission.

Since early September, the US president has ordered these military attacks on boats in the Caribbean that the Trump administration claims, without providing evidence, were transporting drugs to the US.

The use of lethal military force against boats carrying drugs is unprecedented and raises legal questions, comments ABC News.