Blasts and Low-Altitude Aircraft Heard in Venezuelan Capital Caracas City
Reports circulated of numerous blasts and the roar of low-altitude jets in Caracas in the small hours of the weekend. The situation has sparked allegations from the Venezuelan authorities and calls for diplomatic intervention.
Caracas Accuses US of Military Action
The socialist administration has condemned the US of committing "foreign aggression," claiming that ex- President Trump supposedly directed attacks against the Latin American state. In an official announcement, the government stated that strikes had impacted the capital and several other states: Miranda, La Guaira state, and Aragua state.
"Our sole aim of this aggression is to take control of Venezuela's natural resources, in particular its crude oil and mineral wealth," the government said.
The government appealed to the world to denounce the strikes, which it labeled a "flagrant violation of international law" that endangered countless of lives at risk in peril.
Accounts of Explosions and Military Bases Targeted
Residents spoke of hearing roughly multiple explosions around 2:00 AM in the morning. People in different areas reportedly rushed into the streets outside.
"The whole ground shook. This is terrifying. We heard blasts and aircraft in the sky," commented one local.
Plumes of smoke was seen billowing from major military installations in Caracas: the La Carlota air base and the Fuerte Tiuna army base, where leader Maduro is thought to live.
Regional Condemnation
The president of bordering Colombia, Gustavo Petro, wrote on social media that "Right now they are bombing Caracas... bombing it with rockets." He requested an urgent emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Colombia, which just became a member of the UNSC, announced it would initiate operational measures at its frontier with its neighbor.
Context
These reported strikes are preceded by a prolonged campaign of pressure by the Trump administration against the Venezuelan government. Beginning in last summer, authorities reported a significant US military buildup off Venezuela's northern coast and a series of airstrikes on vessels suspected of narco-trafficking.
The administration has announced "the implementation of external disturbance" and directed all national defence protocols to be implemented. It has also urged its supporters to mobilize and "reject this imperialist aggression."
American officials and the Defense Department have not immediately addressed requests for comment regarding the events.
