Blasts and Low-Flying Jets Witnessed in Venezuelan Capital City Caracas City
Witness testimonies circulated of several detonations and the sound of low-altitude aircraft in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning. The event has led to accusations from Venezuela's government and requests for diplomatic action.
Venezuela Accuses Washington of Aggression
The incumbent regime has accused the US of an act of "foreign aggression," claiming that ex- President Trump reportedly ordered strikes against the Latin American country. In an public statement, the government asserted that attacks had hit the capital and three other regions: Miranda, La Guaira state, and Aragua.
"Our primary goal of this aggression is to seize control of Venezuela's natural resources, in particular its oil and resources," Venezuela said.
Caracas appealed to the international community to denounce the actions, which it described a "flagrant violation of international norms" that put millions of lives in peril.
Accounts of Blasts and Military Sites Targeted
Eyewitnesses spoke of experiencing roughly multiple powerful blasts around the middle of the night in the morning. Residents in several neighborhoods allegedly ran into the streets outside.
"The earth trembled. This is frightening. We heard explosions and aircraft in the sky," said one resident.
Plumes of smoke was observed billowing from key military installations in Caracas: the La Carlota airbase military airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna base army base, where leader Nicolás Maduro is thought to live.
International Condemnation
The president of neighboring Colombia, wrote on a social platform that "Currently they are attacking Caracas... bombing it with projectiles." He called for an immediate meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The Colombian government, which recently became a member of the Security Council, stated it would activate defense plans at its shared border with its neighbor.
Context
These reported attacks come after a prolonged pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Venezuelan regime. Since last summer, authorities reported a major US military buildup off Venezuela's Caribbean coast and a number of strikes on boats accused of narco-trafficking.
Venezuela's administration has declared "a state of external disturbance" and directed all defense plans to be implemented. It has also called on its citizens to mobilize and "repudiate this external attack."
American officials and the US Department of Defense did not immediately commented on requests for comment regarding the reports.
