Blasts and Low-Flying Jets Heard in Venezuela's Capital City Caracas
Reports circulated of numerous blasts and the noise of low-flying planes in Caracas in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. This incident has led to claims from Venezuela's leadership and requests for international scrutiny.
Caracas Blames Washington of Attack
The authoritarian regime has condemned the Washington of committing "foreign aggression," stating that former President Donald Trump supposedly directed attacks against the South American state. In an formal declaration, the government stated that attacks had impacted the capital and three other states: Miranda state, La Guaira state, and Aragua state.
"Our only objective of these strikes is to seize control of our nation's strategic resources, in particular its petroleum and minerals," Venezuela declared.
The government called on the international community to denounce the strikes, which it termed a "flagrant violation of international norms" that endangered millions of civilians in peril.
Accounts of Blasts and Military Sites Hit
Residents described experiencing approximately multiple powerful blasts around 2:00 AM in the morning. Residents in several neighborhoods reportedly rushed into the streets.
"Everything shook. This is terrifying. We heard explosions and jets in the area," commented one local.
Smoke was observed billowing from key military installations in the city: the La Carlota airbase air base and the Fuerte Tiuna base army base, where leader Nicolás Maduro is thought to live.
Regional Response
The leader of bordering Colombia, claimed on X that "Right now they are striking Caracas... bombing it with missiles." He called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Colombia, which just became a member of the UNSC, said it would activate operational plans at its frontier with its neighbor.
Context
The alleged strikes are preceded by a prolonged campaign of pressure by the United States against the Venezuelan government. Beginning in August, there has been a major naval presence off Venezuela's Caribbean coast and a series of airstrikes on boats linked to illegal activities.
Venezuela's administration has stated "the implementation of emergency" and commanded all defense measures to be activated. It has also urged its citizens to protest and "denounce this foreign act."
US authorities and the Pentagon have not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the events.
