The United States has conducted military strikes inside Venezuela, a U.S. official confirmed, after explosions shook Caracas amid escalating tensions between President Donald Trump and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
The Venezuelan government said the attacks extended beyond the capital to the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. In response, Maduro declared a national emergency and ordered defense forces to mobilize.
Residents of Caracas reported hearing blasts beginning around 2 a.m. (0600 GMT), with aircraft overhead and thick black smoke rising over parts of the city for about 90 minutes. Reuters witnesses and videos circulating on social media showed bright orange flashes lighting up the night sky.
Across the capital, people expressed fear and disbelief as explosions echoed nearby. “My love, oh no, look at that,” one woman said in a video, gasping as smoke billowed in the distance.
Witnesses said a power outage hit the southern area of the city, close to a major military base.
Attack follows U.S. military buildup
Trump has repeatedly vowed to carry out land operations in the oil-producing South American nation, which Maduro has governed since 2013. The United States, Venezuela’s opposition and several other countries say Maduro rigged last year’s election to remain in office.
While Trump has not publicly outlined his objectives, it was reported that he has privately urged Maduro to leave the country. On Monday, Trump said it would be “smart” for Maduro to leave power.
The Pentagon referred questions about the strikes to the White House, which declined to comment.
In a statement, Venezuela’s government accused Washington of attempting to seize the country’s oil and mineral resources, adding that the United States “will not succeed” in taking them.
The strikes come after a significant U.S. military buildup in the region, including the deployment of an aircraft carrier, warships and advanced fighter jets to the Caribbean.
Trump has pushed for a “blockade” of Venezuelan oil, expanded sanctions on the Maduro government and authorized more than two dozen strikes on vessels that the United States claims were involved in drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Last week, Trump said the United States struck an area inside Venezuela where boats were being loaded with drugs, marking the first known instance of U.S. land operations in the country since the pressure campaign began.
He did not specify whether the CIA carried out those strikes, though other media outlets have reported that the agency was responsible.
Trump has accused Venezuela of flooding the United States with drugs. His administration has for months bombed boats originating in South America that it alleges were transporting narcotics. Many countries have condemned those attacks as extrajudicial killings, while Maduro’s government has consistently denied any role in drug trafficking.
(REUTERS)
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