President Donald Trump abruptly ordered the airspace closed above and around Venezuela on Saturday, further escalating tensions between the U.S. president and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, whom the White House accuses of working with narco-terrorist organizations to facilitate drug trafficking.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” the president wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently issued a security notice warning airlines and pilots to avoid Venezuelan airspace, citing “a worsening security situation,” increased military activity and potential GPS interference as risks to flights. On Thursday, Venezuela revoked operating rights for six major international airlines that had suspended flights to the country following the FAA’s warning.

But Trump’s move to close the airspace “in its entirety” goes further than the FAA’s decision, signaling the U.S. now views Venezuelan skies as an active security threat, not just a risky transit zone.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have spent the last several months staging a major pressure campaign in the hopes of ousting Maduro, keyed by the build-up of American military might in the Caribbean and lethal strikes on boats the White House says are trafficking drugs.

The attacks on alleged drug vessels have provoked international outcry, as Democrats and some Republicans fret that Trump is consolidating more power into the hands of the executive branch and violating international law.

Last month, the United Nations commissioner for human rights condemned the strikes, calling them “unacceptable” and echoing lawmakers’ concerns that they violate international law.

The president this week previewed potential military action against drug smugglers in the oil-rich South American country.

“People aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea,” he said at the White House Thursday. “And we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier. But that’s going to start very soon. We warn them. Stop sending poison to our country.”