- The US carried out military strikes inside Venezuela, with explosions and black smoke reported across Caracas and other states
- Key military and infrastructure sites, including Fuerte Tiuna base, La Carlota airbase, and La Guaira seaport, were targeted as witnesses captured blasts and power outages
- President Nicolás Maduro condemned the strikes as an “imperialist assault,” mobilising civilians and the army to protect national sovereignty
- The attacks follow months of escalating tensions, including US sanctions, oil blockades, and prior strikes on vessels
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Caracas – The United States has carried out military strikes inside Venezuela, triggering a national emergency declaration by President Nicolás Maduro.
Explosions, black smoke, and aircraft activity were reported in Caracas from around 2am local time, lasting roughly 90 minutes.
Witnesses captured images and videos showing bright orange flashes lighting up the sky, accompanied by blasts that rattled buildings across the city.
“My love, oh no, look at that,” a woman gasped in one viral video shared by the BBC as explosions erupted.
The Venezuelan government reported that attacks were not limited to the capital but also targeted the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
Affected sites included key military and infrastructure points, such as the Fuerte Tiuna military base, La Carlota airbase, El Volcán signal antenna, and La Guaira seaport.
In the southern areas of Caracas, near major military installations, witnesses reported power outages coinciding with the strikes.
In response, Maduro declared a state of “external commotion” under the constitution and national security laws, giving the government extraordinary powers to mobilise the military, police, and civilians.
Maduro condemned what he described as extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by President Donald Trump’s administration and called for a joint effort to safeguard national sovereignty.
Venezuela’s government called on its supporters to take to the streets in the wake of the military strikes, describing it as an “imperialist assault” aimed at seizing Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources.
“People to the streets!The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack,” read the statement as reported by CBS.
Maduro’s administration also announced that the government would lodge formal complaints with the United Nations Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Non-Aligned Movement.
The strikes come after months of escalating tension between the Trump administration and Maduro’s government.
Trump has repeatedly called for Maduro to leave office, privately pressuring the Venezuelan leader to step down, and publicly warning that it would be “smart” for him to depart.
The US has also implemented a blockade on Venezuelan oil, expanded sanctions, and carried out more than two dozen strikes against vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
As the strikes unfolded, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned U.S. commercial aircraft from operating over Venezuelan airspace.
