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Venezuela's embassy in Ankara has confirmed that the United States carried out the explosions that rocked Caracas early Saturday morning, marking the first official Venezuelan government statement attributing the strikes to Washington as military tensions between the two nations escalate dramatically.
The blasts occurred around 2:00 a.m. local time on Jan. 3 across at least six locations in the Venezuelan capital, according to witnesses and social media reports. Venezuela's Ankara embassy directly blamed the US for executing the attacks, providing the first official confirmation from Venezuelan authorities about the incident.
Residents across Caracas reported loud explosions, low-flying aircraft, and siren-like alarms during the early morning strikes. Videos circulating on social media show flashes and smoke columns at multiple locations, with blasts strong enough to shake windows and trigger brief power outages in neighborhoods including 23 de Enero and areas near La Carlota airbase.
Venezuelan sources told Sky News Arabia that the home of the Venezuelan defense minister was also subject to shelling.
Witnesses described seeing what appeared to be helicopters overhead, with online speculation suggesting possible US Army CH-47 Chinooks, though this remains unconfirmed.
The explosions were heard near strategic military sites, including Fort Tiuna army base, La Carlota Air Base, and potentially near Miraflores Palace. Sounds of explosions continued to be heard around 2:15 AM, though their exact locations remained unclear at the time.
The alleged airstrikes come amid sharply escalating tensions following recent US actions against the Maduro government.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced the United States had destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats, though he declined to specify whether it was a military or CIA operation or provide the strike's exact location, noting only that it occurred "along the shore."
That attack would represent the first known land strike on Venezuelan soil. Trump has deployed a Navy task force to the Caribbean and recently raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela.
The administration has accused President Nicolas Maduro of heading a drug cartel and claims it is cracking down on trafficking, though Maduro denies any involvement in narcotics, arguing Washington seeks to overthrow his government because Venezuela holds the world's largest known oil reserves.
Neither U.S. sources nor major international news outlets have issued official confirmations about the Caracas explosions. No casualty figures have been reported by either government.
President Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied Monday's earlier strike, though he stated Thursday he remained open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of US military pressure.
Washington has intensified its campaign against Caracas by informally closing Venezuela's airspace, imposing additional sanctions, and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil. The Trump administration has also designated the Maduro regime as a foreign terrorist organization and announced a blockade.
Since September, U.S. forces have conducted numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, targeting what Washington describes as drug smugglers.
The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the operations' legality. The maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people across at least 30 strikes, according to U.S. military information.
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