American military action in and around Venezuela’s capital became official early Saturday after explosions and sustained low flying aircraft activity were reported across Caracas, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the Maduro government.
At least seven explosions were heard around 2 a.m. local time, according to residents in multiple districts, as helicopters and aircraft operated at unusually low altitudes over the city. Witnesses said the blasts shook buildings and sent people into the streets in panic. Venezuelan state television did not interrupt its broadcast schedule and authorities issued no immediate public statement.
The strikes come amid an expanded US military deployment in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where American forces have carried out dozens of attacks on vessels Washington claims are linked to drug trafficking. Since September, US forces have struck at least 35 boats, killing more than 100 people, following the arrival of the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops to the region.
President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly warned that Washington is pursuing forced regime change under the cover of counter narcotics operations, accusing the US of attempting to gain control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. He has described the months long pressure campaign, which began with a major military buildup last August, as a prelude to direct intervention.
US President Donald Trump has openly threatened strikes on Venezuelan soil, ordered the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers, and enforced a maritime blockade aimed at further strangling the country’s economy. The US has framed its actions as part of an armed conflict with drug cartels, a justification Caracas rejects as a pretext for intervention.
Saturday’s developments follow a series of simultaneous US escalations elsewhere, including renewed threats against Iran and continued military and political backing for Israel amid its war on Gaza. Observers say the convergence of these actions reflects a broader shift in US policy toward overt military coercion, with precedents set in one theater rapidly applied in another.
Iranian state media reported extensively on the explosions in Caracas, broadcasting images of the capital and linking the events to Venezuela’s close ties with Tehran and their shared confrontation with Washington.
The overnight strikes have deepened fears inside Venezuela that the country has entered a new phase of direct conflict, as US military pressure intensifies alongside parallel confrontations across West Asia and Latin America.
