Caracas, Venezuela - Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said Saturday the country is conducting military exercises to protect its coast against any potential "covert operations" by the US.

The move comes a day after the President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, an escalation of the ongoing campaign of deadly attacks on boats that have killed at least 43 people – some of them simple fishermen – in international waters.

"We are conducting an exercise that began 72 hours ago, a coastal defense exercise... to protect ourselves not only from large-scale military threats but also to protect ourselves from drug trafficking, terrorist threats and covert operations that aim to destabilize the country internally," Padrino said.

Tensions are mounting in the region, with Trump saying he has authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, and that he is considering ground attacks.

Since September 2, US forces have bombed 10 vessels it claimed with no evidence were transporting drugs.

Trump has also baselessly accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel amid clear indications that the US is aiming for regime collapse.

Venezuelan state television showed images of military personnel deployed in nine coastal states and a member of Maduro's civilian militia carrying a Russian Igla-S shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile.

"CIA is present not only in Venezuela but everywhere in the world," Padrino said Friday. "They may deploy countless CIA-affiliated units in covert operations from any part of the nation, but any attempt will fail."