Explosions rock Caracas as Venezuela declares emergency

Venezuela’s government says the United States has carried out attacks on both civilian and military targets across multiple regions, calling the incidents a “military aggression” and declaring a national state of emergency.

In an official statement, Caracas accused Washington of launching strikes in the capital on Saturday, as well as in the surrounding states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. The government claimed the alleged assault was aimed at seizing Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth, warning that such efforts “will not succeed”.

President Nicolas Maduro swiftly declared a nationwide emergency as explosions echoed through Caracas and thick plumes of smoke rose over the city.

The US has not made an official statement. However, a US official speaking anonymously to Reuters said the United States did carry out a strike inside Venezuela, offering no further details.

Witnesses and media reports described a series of explosions and power outages in the capital amid sharply escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington.

Video footage obtained by Al Jazeera showed large fireballs and heavy smoke coming from a structure near a body of water in Caracas early on Saturday. Citing sources, Al Jazeera correspondent Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, Chile, said the blast appeared to have occurred near Fort Tiuna, the country’s main military base.

“Fort Tiuna is a key military base there. A series of explosions were reportedly heard throughout the area, followed by a blackout,” Newman said.

She added that there is a “presumption” the United States may be involved, while noting that the situation remains unclear.

“We don’t know yet how this explosion happened. There is also a possibility that this is an act of internal sabotage among elements of the military who are trying to oust President Nicolas Maduro,” Newman said.

From Caracas, journalist Sisi De Flavis described a sudden, violent shock.

“I heard what sounded like a huge truck crashing, followed by an intense shaking of the ground,” she told Al Jazeera. “The skies started to light up. Then there was a ball of orange fire glowing. You can still hear planes flying over right now, although there have not been any explosions since then.”

The Associated Press reported at least seven explosions in the capital, along with the sound of low-flying aircraft. An image published by AP showed smoke rising near La Carlota airport.

Residents across several neighbourhoods rushed into the streets in the aftermath.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, speaking to AP as she walked quickly with relatives after leaving a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

The explosions come after weeks of mounting tension between Venezuela and the United States. US President Donald Trump has recently threatened strikes on targets allegedly linked to drug trafficking, including inside Venezuela.

Earlier this week, Trump confirmed a strike on a docking area used by what he described as Venezuelan drug boats — the first publicly acknowledged attack on Venezuelan territory as part of the current US campaign.

Trump has repeatedly threatened ground operations against drug cartels across Latin America, branding Venezuelan authorities “narcoterrorists”. He has claimed, without evidence, that Maduro leads a trafficking organisation aimed at destabilising the US by flooding it with drugs.

In an interview on Thursday, Maduro said Venezuela was open to talks with Washington on combating drug trafficking, while remaining silent on reports of a CIA-led strike inside the country.

He also accused the US of attempting to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela’s oil reserves through sanctions and military pressure.

Asked directly whether he confirmed or denied a US attack on Venezuelan soil, Maduro replied: “This could be something we talk about in a few days.”

He said the Trump administration’s stance makes it “clear” that the US “seek to impose themselves” on Venezuela through “threats, intimidation and force”.