🔗 Share this article Blasts and Low-Flying Jets Witnessed in Venezuelan Capital Caracas Reports surfaced of several blasts and the sound of low-flying jets in the Venezuelan capital in the small hours of Saturday. This situation has sparked claims from Venezuela's government and demands for diplomatic action. Caracas Condemns United States of Aggression The authoritarian government has accused the United States of an act of "imperial aggression," claiming that former President Trump reportedly authorized military strikes against the South American state. In an public statement, the government confirmed that attacks had targeted Caracas and several other states: Miranda state, La Guaira state, and Aragua. "Our sole aim of this aggression is to gain control of our nation's strategic resources, in particular its oil and minerals," Venezuela asserted. Caracas called on the international community to denounce the actions, which it termed a "blatant breach of international norms" that endangered millions of lives in jeopardy. Reports of Blasts and Defense Bases Hit Residents described feeling approximately seven powerful blasts around 2:00 AM in the morning. Citizens in several neighborhoods reportedly rushed into the open. "The earth trembled. It was horrible. We experienced blasts and jets in the sky," said one witness. Smoke was observed pouring from key military installations in the city: the La Carlota airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna compound, where president Nicolás Maduro is thought to reside. Global Response The leader of neighboring Colombia, claimed on a social platform that "Currently they are bombing Venezuela... attacking it with rockets." He demanded an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council. The Colombian government, which recently joined the Security Council, said it would initiate security plans at its frontier with Venezuela. Context The alleged strikes follow a extended pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Maduro regime. Beginning in last summer, there has been a substantial US military deployment off Venezuela's Caribbean coast and a number of airstrikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking. The government has announced "a state of external disturbance" and directed all defense protocols to be initiated. It has also summoned its supporters to protest and "repudiate this imperialist act." The White House and the Defense Department did not promptly addressed requests for a statement regarding the allegations.