Caracas shaken as Venezuela accuses US of military strikes

Explosions were reported in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday after what Venezuela’s government described as US strikes on Venezuela, triggering a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and the South American state.

Residents in the capital spoke of loud detonations, low-flying aircraft and flashes in the night sky, as the government confirmed that Caracas and three surrounding states had come under attack. Officials in Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua were also placed on emergency footing.

In a statement issued shortly after dawn, Venezuela’s government accused the United States of carrying out what it called “an extremely serious act of imperial aggression”, warning that the consequences risked destabilising the wider region.

“The only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals,” the statement said. It urged the international community to condemn what it described as a flagrant violation of international law that put millions of lives at risk.

President Nicolás Maduro declared a nationwide state of emergency and ordered all national defence plans to be activated. In a televised address, he called on citizens to mobilise in response to what he described as an external assault.

“The entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression,” the government said, framing the alleged strikes as an existential threat to Venezuelan sovereignty.

The claims were echoed by Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, who wrote on social media that Caracas was being bombed and called for an immediate emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. “Right now they are bombing Caracas,” he wrote, urging urgent international intervention.

The reported strikes come after months of mounting pressure on Maduro’s government, following a sustained US campaign of sanctions, diplomatic isolation and increased military presence in the Caribbean. Since August, Washington has overseen a significant naval and air build-up off Venezuela’s northern coast, alongside targeted operations against vessels it claims are linked to drug trafficking.

The White House and Pentagon had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

International law experts note that any confirmed military action would raise immediate questions about legality under the UN Charter, which restricts the use of force except in cases of self-defence or with Security Council authorisation. The role of the Council, and whether it will convene in emergency session, is now under intense scrutiny.

As dawn broke over Caracas, streets in several districts remained quiet, with transport disrupted and security forces deployed across key junctions. Schools and public offices in affected areas were ordered to remain closed.

With regional leaders calling for restraint and global attention turning rapidly to events in Venezuela, the next diplomatic steps could prove as consequential as the events reported overnight.

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Image Credit | REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria]

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