Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has declared a national emergency.
09:33, Sat, Jan 3, 2026 Updated: 09:33, Sat, Jan 3, 2026
Venezuela capital hit by explosions (Image: NC)
Donald Trump reportedly ordered strikes against the capital of Venezuela. The US President issued an order targeting sites inside Venezuela, including military facilities, according to the BBC.
Today's strikes mark a huge increase in tensions between the US and the South American nation, with Trump's promise of American action in Venezuela coming true much earlier than many thought.
Alongside sweeping sanctions and pressures for President Nicolás Maduro to stand down, the US has also been targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea.
Last week Trump confirmed the US military had carried out a “hit” in the country where a drug smuggling operation is thought to have taken place.
The president failed to confirm who carried out the strike, but it was widely reported that the CIA was responsible.
Maduro and the Venezuelan government have denied any involvement in drug trafficking and have said that he would work with the US to help tackle the issue.
Releasing a statement on the attack, President Maduro condemned the strikes and triggered a national state of emergency.
The statement added that Maduro has “signed and ordered the implementation of the Decree declaring a state of external commotion throughout the national territory".
It went on: “They have urged all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilisation plans and condemn this imperialist attack".
Finally, Maduro’s statement added: “The only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela’s strategic resources, in particular its oil and minerals."
President Maduro condemned the attack (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, was in Caracas heading back from a birthday party and was left shaken by the round of US ordered explosions.
Speaking to AP her voice trembled as she added: “The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance. We felt like the air was hitting us.”
President Trump ordered strikes on at least seven locations in the Venezuelan capital earlier this morning.
The US action hit prominent targets in Caracas including one of the nation’s largest military bases, according to sources in the Pentagon.
Officials in the Trump administration said they were aware of the explosions in Caracas.
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At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2am local time Saturday in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
People in various neighbourhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.
Power in a large section of the capital is also reportedly knocked off, with one outage coming near one of the country’s major military bases.
According to local media, explosions were heard outside the capital too. Efecto Cocuyo, a Venezuelan news outlet, reported that explosions also happened in La Guaira, just north of the capital and in Higuerote, a city on the country’s coast.
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