🔗 Share this article Explosions and Low-Flying Jets Reported in Venezuela's Capital City Caracas Witness testimonies surfaced of multiple blasts and the sound of low-altitude planes in Caracas in the small hours of Saturday. The event has led to claims from the Venezuelan authorities and demands for diplomatic intervention. Venezuela Condemns US of Aggression The incumbent government has condemned the United States of committing "foreign aggression," stating that former President Trump supposedly ordered strikes against the Latin American nation. In an public announcement, the authorities confirmed that attacks had impacted Caracas and several other provinces: Miranda, La Guaira, and Aragua state. "Our sole aim of this aggression is to take control of our nation's strategic resources, especially its petroleum and mineral wealth," Venezuela said. Venezuelan officials appealed to the world to denounce the strikes, which it termed a "flagrant violation of international law" that put numerous of lives in peril. Accounts of Explosions and Defense Sites Targeted Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing roughly several explosions around the middle of the night in the morning. Citizens in various districts allegedly rushed into the open. "The earth trembled. This is horrible. We heard blasts and jets in the area," commented one local. Black smoke was seen rising from key defense sites in the city: the La Carlota airbase airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna compound, where leader Maduro is reported to reside. International Reaction The president of bordering Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed on X that "Currently they are bombing Caracas... bombing it with projectiles." He called for an swift emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Colombia, which just joined the UNSC, said it would activate security protocols at its shared border with Venezuela. Preceding Events The reported strikes follow a extended campaign of pressure by the Trump administration against the Maduro administration. Beginning in August, authorities reported a significant American military presence off the country's northern coast and a number of air strikes on vessels accused of drug trafficking. Venezuela's government has announced "a state of emergency" and ordered all national defense measures to be activated. It has also summoned its citizens to take to the streets and "reject this foreign act." US authorities and the Pentagon have not publicly addressed inquiries for comment regarding the reports.