The votes follow a monthslong military campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Venezuela on Wednesday requested that the United Nations Security Council meet to discuss “ongoing U.S. aggression” against the country, according to a letter to the 15-member body seen by Reuters.

President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Venezuela on Tuesday by announcing that he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers ” entering and leaving the South American country.

As U.S.-Venezuela tensions rise, sociologist and historian Emmanuel Guerisoli wrote in Spanish in Venezuela’s El Nacional that a civil war is “very likely” if the United States tries to unilaterally oust President Nicolás Maduro. Newsweek has reached out to Guerisoli and the State Department for comment via email on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's announced blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil could lead to shortages of food, fuel, and other basic goods.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday asked the United Nations to act to avoid bloodshed in Venezuela, while other countries expressed concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump's recent blockade announcement.