🔗 Share this article Detonations and Low-Flying Jets Witnessed in Venezuela's Capital Caracas City Accounts surfaced of multiple explosions and the noise of low-flying jets in the Venezuelan capital in the pre-dawn hours of the weekend. The incident has sparked allegations from the Venezuelan authorities and calls for diplomatic intervention. Caracas Condemns US of Aggression Venezuela's authoritarian government has blamed the US of an act of "imperialist aggression," alleging that ex- President Donald Trump allegedly authorized strikes against the Latin American state. In an public announcement, the authorities asserted that attacks had targeted Caracas and several other regions: Miranda, La Guaira state, and Aragua. "The primary goal of these strikes is to gain control of our nation's key assets, notably its crude oil and resources," the statement declared. Venezuelan officials appealed to the global community to denounce the operations, which it labeled a "flagrant violation of international norms" that put millions of lives in danger. Accounts of Blasts and Defense Bases Hit Eyewitnesses reported hearing roughly seven powerful blasts around the middle of the night in the morning. People in different districts reportedly ran into the streets. "The earth trembled. This is terrifying. We heard explosions and aircraft in the area," said one local. Smoke was reported billowing from two defense sites in the city: the La Carlota airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna base army base, where president Nicolás Maduro is thought to have a residence. Global Condemnation The leader of bordering Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed on X that "At this moment they are striking Venezuela... attacking it with missiles." He called for an urgent meeting of the Security Council. Colombia, which recently joined the Security Council, said it would initiate defense protocols at its shared border with Venezuela. Preceding Events The reported strikes are preceded by a months-long pressure campaign by the United States against the Maduro regime. Beginning in August, there has been a major US military buildup off Venezuela's northern coast and a number of airstrikes on vessels linked to illegal activities. The administration has declared "a state of external disturbance" and ordered all national defense protocols to be implemented. It has also summoned its political forces to take to the streets and "repudiate this external aggression." The White House and the US Department of Defense did not promptly addressed requests for clarification regarding the events.