🔗 Share this article Explosions and Low-Flying Planes Heard in Venezuelan Capital Caracas Witness testimonies emerged of several detonations and the roar of low-flying jets in the Venezuelan capital in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. This situation has sparked claims from the Venezuelan leadership and requests for international intervention. Caracas Condemns Washington of Attack The incumbent regime has blamed the United States of what it calls "imperialist aggression," alleging that ex- President Donald Trump supposedly authorized military strikes against the Latin American nation. In an public announcement, the authorities stated that strikes had hit Caracas and several other states: Miranda state, La Guaira state, and Aragua. "Our sole aim of this aggression is to seize control of our nation's strategic resources, in particular its petroleum and resources," the government asserted. Venezuelan officials urged the world to condemn the operations, which it described a "blatant breach of international law" that put countless of lives in peril. Reports of Explosions and Military Bases Targeted Eyewitnesses described experiencing at least several explosions around 2 a.m. in the morning. Residents in different neighborhoods allegedly hurried into the streets. "Everything shook. This is frightening. We experienced blasts and aircraft in the distance," said one resident. Smoke was observed rising from major military installations in the city: the La Carlota military airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna base compound, where president Maduro is reported to reside. Regional Condemnation The leader of neighboring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed on X that "Right now they are striking Venezuela... bombing it with missiles." He called for an immediate emergency session of the UN Security Council. The Colombian government, which just became a member of the UNSC, announced it would initiate security protocols at its frontier with its neighbor. Background The alleged strikes follow a extended pressure campaign by the United States against the Maduro regime. Since last summer, there has been a major US military deployment off the country's northern coast and a series of strikes on ships linked to drug trafficking. Venezuela's government has stated "a state of external disturbance" and directed all defense protocols to be activated. It has also urged its citizens to protest and "repudiate this foreign act." The White House and the US Department of Defense did not publicly commented on requests for clarification regarding the allegations.