Explosions heard in Venezuela's capital amid US saber rattling
- By AFP and Agencies -
- Jan 03, 2026
CARACAS, Venezuela: Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) Saturday, an AFP journalist reported.
US media reported seven loud blasts in Caracas and power outage in several parts of the city. “The explosions reported near a military base in southern part of the city,” reports said.
The United States military was behind a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, US media reported.
US media outlets including CBS News and Fox News reported that unnamed Trump administration officials confirmed US forces were involved. CBS said an attack was ordered by President Donald Trump.
The explosions come as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela.
Sounds of explosions were still being heard around 2:15 am, although their exact location was unclear.
Trump on Monday said the United States hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
The Republican leader would not say if it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike occurred, noting only that it was “along the shore.”
The attack would be the first known land strike on Venezuelan soil.
BREAKING: Explosions are rocking Caracas, Venezuela while their citizens are sleeping, as it appears the so-called “Peace President” trump is starting a war without Congress’ approval.
Those Epstein files must be really, really bad.pic.twitter.com/B3qohuQx4Z
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) January 3, 2026
President Nicolas Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied Monday’s strike, but said Thursday he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of US military pressure.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.
Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela’s airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.
For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start “soon,” with Monday being the first apparent example.
US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.
The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.
The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.
The US are bombing Caracas. This is State Terrorism. Where’s the condemnation from EU Member States..? pic.twitter.com/8w4kKwFi3B
— Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) January 3, 2026