The US military said on Wednesday it had seized and boarded two oil tankers with links to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, in a move that heightens tensions after the US operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

About a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude and fuel have left the country's waters since the start of the year in apparent defiance of the U.S. government's blockade on exports.

Two U.S. intelligence officials said Venezuelan officials had discussed placing Soviet-era defense systems and armed military personnel on tankers — disguising them as civilians for defense purposes.

Jan 5 (Reuters) - About a dozen tankers ‌loaded ​with Venezuelan crude and ‌fuel departed in recent days from the country's waters ​in dark mode, seemingly breaking a strict blockade imposed by the ‍U.S. amid intense pressure that ​mounted until the capture of deposed President Nicolas Maduro, monitoring ​service TankerTrackers.com ⁠said.