Explosions were reported across Venezuela’s capital in the early hours of Saturday, prompting President Nicolás Maduro’s government to accuse the United States of launching a “very serious military aggression” against Caracas and several neighbouring states.
Residents and journalists described a series of blasts followed by the sound of aircraft overhead. Reuters reported that at least one column of smoke was visible above the city and that parts of southern Caracas, an area that includes major military installations, lost power.
A CNN team in Caracas said it heard multiple explosions and aircraft noise after the blasts, and witnessed electricity cuts in several districts. The Associated Press reported that at least seven explosions were heard and that fear spread through neighbourhoods as residents tried to work out what had been hit.
Reporting pointed to sites linked to Venezuela’s security forces. The Washington Post said smoke was seen rising from the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base at La Carlota.
In a statement Venezuela’s government said attacks struck “civilian and military” areas of Caracas and also affected the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. It described the incident as a breach of the United Nations Charter and warned that it threatened regional peace in Latin America and the Caribbean. Authorities had not, by mid-morning, published casualty figures or a detailed account of damage.
Maduro announced what Venezuelan authorities called a “state of external disturbance” across the national territory. According to state-linked reporting, the decree was presented as a measure to protect the population’s rights, ensure the functioning of republican institutions and move “immediately” to armed resistance. Maduro urged political and social organisations to activate mobilisation plans.
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, posted on social media that Caracas was being “bombed with missiles” and called for emergency meetings of both the Organisation of American States and the United Nations.
By mid-morning in Caracas, there had been no official public response from Washington. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately comment on Venezuela’s accusations. The Associated Press said the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on American flights over Venezuelan airspace, citing risks linked to military activity.
The incident follows months of rising tension between Washington and Caracas. Reuters has reported previously that Maduro’s government has characterised US measures as an escalating “aggression”, including sanctions and legal action targeting Venezuelan officials, while US officials have framed their posture as pressure intended to secure political change.
US forces have recently carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and Trump had signalled that land-based strikes inside Venezuela were possible. In November Venezuela’s defence minister said the military was preparing a guerrilla-style response in the event of a US attack.
In recent weeks, Venezuela had already been seeking international scrutiny of US actions. On 17 December Venezuela asked the UN Security Council to convene over what it described as “ongoing US aggression”, according to a letter seen by the agency.
Maduro’s government framed Saturday’s events as part of a broader struggle over Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources, with officials telling Reuters that the alleged strikes aimed to enable US control of those assets.
The episode increases the risk of escalation and places pressure on regional and international bodies to respond, while leaving civilians in Caracas facing power cuts, uncertainty and official calls for mobilisation as more information emerges.
