Explosions and Low-Altitude Jets Heard in Venezuela's Capital City Caracas
Witness testimonies surfaced of several explosions and the noise of low-altitude jets in the Venezuelan capital in the early hours of Saturday. This event has prompted claims from Venezuela's government and calls for international scrutiny.
Caracas Accuses United States of Aggression
Venezuela's authoritarian administration has blamed the Washington of an act of "imperial aggression," stating that former President Trump supposedly directed attacks against the South American country. In an public statement, the government asserted that attacks had hit Caracas and several other provinces: Miranda state, La Guaira, and Aragua state.
"The only objective of this aggression is to gain control of Venezuela's natural resources, in particular its oil and resources," Venezuela asserted.
Caracas urged the world to denounce the actions, which it described a "clear infringement of international law" that endangered numerous of lives at risk in peril.
Reports of Explosions and Military Installations Targeted
Residents described hearing roughly several powerful blasts around 2:00 AM local time. Citizens in different areas reportedly rushed into the streets.
"The earth trembled. This is horrible. We heard explosions and jets in the sky," stated one local.
Plumes of smoke was reported billowing from major army bases in Caracas: the La Carlota airbase air base and the Fuerte Tiuna army base, where president Maduro is thought to reside.
International Response
The president of bordering Colombia, Gustavo Petro, stated on a social platform that "At this moment they are striking Venezuela... attacking it with missiles." He requested an immediate emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Colombia, which recently joined the UNSC, said it would activate security protocols at its frontier with its neighbor.
Background
The alleged strikes come after a prolonged military buildup by the Trump administration against the Maduro regime. Since August, there has been a major US military presence off Venezuela's Caribbean coast and a number of strikes on vessels suspected of narco-trafficking.
The government has declared "a state of external threat" and commanded all national defence measures to be activated. It has also urged its citizens to protest and "repudiate this imperialist attack."
American officials and the US Department of Defense have not promptly addressed inquiries for a statement regarding the reports.