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Reports circulated of multiple explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft in Caracas in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. This situation has prompted claims from Venezuela's government and calls for global intervention.

Caracas Blames United States of Military Action

The authoritarian administration has accused the Washington of what it calls "imperialist aggression," alleging that ex- President Donald Trump supposedly authorized attacks against the Latin American nation. In an official announcement, the authorities asserted that strikes had targeted Caracas and several other provinces: Miranda, La Guaira state, and Aragua state.

"Our only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela's strategic resources, notably its crude oil and mineral wealth," the statement said.

Caracas urged the global community to denounce the operations, which it termed a "flagrant violation of international law" that endangered numerous of lives in jeopardy.

Accounts of Explosions and Defense Sites Targeted

Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing approximately seven explosions around 2 a.m. in the morning. People in various neighborhoods allegedly hurried into the open.

"Everything shook. This is terrifying. We heard explosions and jets in the distance," commented one local.

Black smoke was reported billowing from key military installations in the city: the La Carlota airbase airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna base army base, where leader Nicolás Maduro is thought to live.

Regional Reaction

The leader of neighboring Colombia, wrote on social media that "At this moment they are attacking Caracas... attacking it with projectiles." He demanded an urgent emergency meeting of the Security Council.

Colombia, which recently joined the Security Council, said it would activate operational protocols at its shared border with Venezuela.

Context

The reported attacks follow a months-long campaign of pressure by the Trump administration against the Maduro government. Beginning in August, there has been a major US military deployment off the country's Caribbean coast and a number of strikes on vessels linked to narco-trafficking.

Venezuela's government has stated "a state of external disturbance" and directed all national defence protocols to be implemented. It has also urged its supporters to take to the streets and "reject this foreign act."

US authorities and the US Department of Defense did not immediately addressed requests for clarification regarding the events.