Detonations and Low-Flying Aircraft Witnessed in Venezuelan Capital City Caracas
Witness testimonies emerged of numerous detonations and the noise of low-flying jets in Caracas in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. The event has prompted claims from the Venezuelan authorities and demands for international intervention.
Caracas Accuses United States of Attack
The incumbent administration has accused the Washington of what it calls "imperial aggression," alleging that ex- President Donald Trump supposedly ordered strikes against the Latin American state. In an public statement, the government asserted that attacks had impacted Caracas and three other provinces: Miranda state, La Guaira, and Aragua.
"Our only objective of these strikes is to seize control of our nation's strategic resources, notably its crude oil and minerals," the government asserted.
Caracas urged the global community to denounce the strikes, which it labeled a "clear infringement of international law" that put countless of lives at risk in jeopardy.
Accounts of Explosions and Military Sites Hit
Residents spoke of hearing approximately seven powerful blasts around the middle of the night in the morning. Residents in various districts reportedly hurried into the open.
"The whole ground shook. This is frightening. We heard blasts and planes in the area," stated one resident.
Plumes of smoke was reported pouring from major army bases in Caracas: the La Carlota airbase airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna military base, where president Maduro is believed to reside.
Global Condemnation
The president of neighboring Colombia, wrote on X that "Right now they are bombing Caracas... bombing it with projectiles." He requested an swift emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The Colombian government, which just became a member of the Security Council, stated it would activate security measures at its border with its neighbor.
Background
These reported attacks follow a prolonged pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Venezuelan government. Since August, there has been a substantial American military presence off the country's northern coast and a series of airstrikes on ships accused of illegal activities.
Venezuela's government has announced "the implementation of external threat" and commanded all defense measures to be implemented. It has also called on its citizens to protest and "repudiate this external aggression."
The White House and the US Department of Defense have not immediately commented on requests for clarification regarding the reports.
