Explosions were reported in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, early Saturday as President Nicolás Maduro’s government accused the United States of launching attacks on military and other targets, declaring a national emergency and calling for nationwide mobilisation against what it described as “military aggression.”
U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to major U.S. media, said President Donald Trump approved strikes on sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities. The White House had not issued a formal public statement at the time of publication, and U.S. agencies referred enquiries to the White House.
Witness accounts gathered by international media described loud blasts and residents scrambling for safety, while videos circulating online showed smoke rising over sections of the capital.
What we know so far
Venezuela’s government statement: Caracas said it “rejects, repudiates and denounces” what it called U.S. military aggression, reporting attacks in Caracas and nearby states including Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. Maduro declared a national emergency (described by some outlets as a “state of external disturbance”) and urged social and political groups to activate defence and mobilisation plans.
Reported targets: Multiple outlets reported strikes or impacts linked to military installations in and around Caracas, including the La Carlota air base and the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, alongside reports of power outages in parts of the city.
U.S. posture: The U.S. has not provided an on-the-record public account of objectives, rules of engagement, or casualty estimates. Reporting from U.S. media, however, cites officials describing an operation aimed at Venezuelan military and security infrastructure.
How the crisis built up
Saturday’s reported strikes come after months of escalating U.S. pressure on Caracas that has mixed sanctions, maritime enforcement, and lethal actions against vessels Washington says are linked to drug trafficking.
Since late 2025, U.S. actions have included the seizure of at least one tanker tied to sanctioned Venezuelan oil exports, with other enforcement moves reported in subsequent weeks.
Separately, Venezuela and several international outlets have pointed to a sustained U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and an expanding campaign of air and maritime strikes against boats the U.S. claims were transporting narcotics—an approach that has added a military edge to what had largely been an economic and diplomatic confrontation.
Why this is a major escalation
Even with limited official detail, the reported move into strikes on or near the capital marks a step-change from offshore interdictions and sanctions enforcement into overt kinetic action on Venezuelan territory—an escalation that increases the risk of miscalculation, regional spillover, and a prolonged cycle of retaliation.
For Maduro, the political incentives are clear: frame the attacks as an assault on sovereignty, rally his core supporters and security apparatus, and pressure regional governments to condemn Washington at multilateral forums. Reuters reported that Maduro’s government urged all social and political forces to mobilise and denounce what it called an “imperialist” attack.
For Washington, the operational logic—if the objective is to destabilise Maduro’s command-and-control—would likely focus on military infrastructure, communications nodes, and air-defence assets. But absent a public U.S. statement, the strategic end-state remains opaque: regime change efforts without a clearly articulated political transition plan have historically raised risks of fragmentation, civilian harm, and long-term instability.
Potential consequences to watch
1) Internal security response: Caracas may expand arrests, impose curfews, restrict communications, and deepen militarised governance under emergency powers.
2) Regional diplomacy: Neighbouring states and blocs may push for urgent UN discussions or regional mediation; international condemnation (or support) will shape whether the episode becomes a short, sharp exchange or the opening phase of a longer confrontation.
3) Energy and shipping disruption: Markets will weigh the risk of interruptions to Venezuelan crude flows and wider Caribbean maritime risk, especially given recent tanker seizures and enforcement actions.
4) Information fog: Early “battlefield” narratives are often contaminated by propaganda and miscaptioned video. Editors should treat casualty figures and target claims as provisional until corroborated by multiple credible outlets and, ideally, satellite imagery or independent verification.