At least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft were reported in the early hours of the morning in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, triggering panic among residents and prompting accusations from the Venezuelan government against the United States.
According to a report by 1News, the blasts occurred within a span of less than 30 minutes, with people in several neighbourhoods rushing into the streets while others turned to social media to report hearing and seeing explosions. Two hours later, power outages were reported across parts of the city, although traffic continued to move freely.
Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was left without electricity.
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, who was returning from a birthday party with two relatives. “We felt like the air was hitting us,” 1News has quoted.
Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations across multiple states. In an official statement, authorities urged supporters to mobilise.
“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilisation plans and repudiate this imperialist attack,” 1News has quoted.
The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defence plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance,” a move that allows the suspension of certain rights and expands the role of the armed forces.
According to a report by 1News, in the United States, the Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which did not immediately respond to an emailed request. Calls to the US Southern Command, responsible for military operations in the region, also went unanswered.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a “Notice to Airmen” shortly after 1 am on the U.S. East Coast, banning US commercial and private flights from Venezuelan airspace and the nearby island nation of Curacao “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” 1News has quoted.
The explosions come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas. In recent days, the US military has been targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region, even as Venezuela said on Friday it was open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking.
Maduro has accused the US of seeking to force a change in government and gain access to Venezuela’s oil reserves, amid a months-long pressure campaign that included a major military deployment to the Caribbean Sea. He has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US.
The US military has carried out dozens of strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, with the Trump administration saying at least 35 boats have been hit and at least 115 people killed. US President Donald Trump has defended the actions as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, describing the situation as an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, 1News has reported.
Iranian state television also reported on the explosions in Caracas, broadcasting images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has maintained close ties with Venezuela for years, partly due to their shared opposition to the United States.
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