A refueling aircraft with its transponder reportedly off flew dangerously close to a JetBlue airliner

A passenger airliner nearly collided mid-flight with a US military aircraft near the Venezuelan coast on Friday, the Associated Press and the New York Times reported, citing radio communications and flight tracking data.

The incident occurred amid a US naval buildup in the Caribbean and President Donald Trump's threats to strike "narcoterrorists" on Venezuelan soil.

JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly encountered a US Air Force refueling tanker while traveling from Curacao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Twenty minutes after takeoff, the airliner suddenly lost altitude mid-climb. "We almost had a midair collision up here," the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. "They passed directly in our flight path ... They don't have their transponder turned on; it's outrageous."

JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said on Sunday that the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. "Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team," he said.

US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz said they were "aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter." He added that safety remained a top priority and the military was "working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation."

Since September, the US has killed more than 80 people in strikes on alleged cartel boats, which Trump claimed were being used by the Venezuelan government to "flood" the US with drugs. Venezuela has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and said the strikes were part of a "colonialist" plan to topple President Nicolas Maduro and plunder the country's natural resources.