Explosions reported in Venezuelan capital city amid tensions with the US.
UPDATE: For the latest developments on the explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, please follow our live updates.
Loud noises and low-flying aircraft were heard in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to witnesses cited by international agencies.
The southern area of the city, near a major military base, was without electricity.
US President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through its current military campaign.
Trump administration officials have called Maduro an “illegitimate leader” and the leader of a drug cartel. Maduro has denied those accusations and kept a firm grip on power since declaring himself the winner of 2024 elections, which he lost, according to independent observers.
Tensions between US and Venezuela
The US has built enormous military pressure on Venezuela since August, carrying out dozens of strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in international waters.
Trump earlier this week appeared to confirm a clandestine US operation where US personnel struck a remote dock on the coast of Venezuela.
News outlets CNN and the New York Times reported that the CIA carried out a drone strike that led to a “major explosion” on a dock facility believed to be used by a Venezuelan transnational gang to store illicit drugs.
There’s typically secrecy around CIA operations, and if the news is confirmed, it will mark the first known land strike on Venezuela since the US began a buildup of strike forces in the region.
Trump also announced a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out Venezuela and other financial tactics to increase pressure on Maduro.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW News
