In the early hours of Saturday, at around 2 a.m. local time, at least seven explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Huge columns of smoke could be seen rising, accompanied by the sound of low-flying aircraft. Additionally, there were reports of power outages in the vicinity of the main military base in the southern part of the capital.
According to reports from the Associated Press, thick smoke was seen coming from a hangar at a military base in Caracas, while another military facility experienced a power outage. Meanwhile, crowds were observed gathering in different areas of Caracas.
A 21-year-old office worker named Carmen Hidalgo described the scene, saying, “The ground was shaking, it was terrifying. We heard explosions and aircraft noise.”
At the same time, the state-owned Venezuelan television station continued its regular programming, featuring content related to Venezuelan music and art.
The explosions occurred as the U.S. military was conducting operations targeting vessels suspected of drug trafficking. On Friday, Venezuelan authorities expressed willingness to negotiate with the United States to reach an agreement on combating drug trafficking.
On Thursday, Venezuelan President Maduro claimed in an interview that the United States was attempting to pressure his government for months in order to overthrow it and gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Maduro has been accused by the U.S. of crimes including drug terrorism. Last week, a U.S. drone strike targeted a docking area used by a Venezuelan drug trafficking group, marking the first publicly disclosed direct action taken inside Venezuelan territory since the U.S. started targeting drug trafficking vessels in September last year.
The U.S. has seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela and ordered sanctions on vessels entering or leaving Venezuelan waters.
Since early September last year, the U.S. military has been actively combating drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Data released by the Trump administration shows that as of Friday, at least 35 drug trafficking vessels have been sunk and over 115 drug traffickers have been killed.
The U.S. has been deploying military assets in South American waters, including sending the most advanced aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean Sea last November, along with deploying thousands of additional troops.