Venezuela's capital hit by explosions, smoke seen

Multiple explosions rocked Venezuela's capital Caracas early on Saturday and columns of black smoke and aircraft could be seen, according to Reuters witnesses and images circulating on social media.

A power ‍outage affected ‌the southern area of the city, near a major military base, ⁠witnesses said.
It was not immediately ‍clear what caused the disturbances, which began about 2 a.m. (0600 GMT), or exactly where they were occurring. Reuters could not immediately verify the social media videos.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised land operations ‍in Venezuela. He has not publicly detailed his aims but has privately pressured President Nicolas Maduro ‍to flee the nation, Reuters has reported. Trump said on Monday it would be "smart" for Maduro to leave power.
The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which declined to comment. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which declined to comment.

Soldiers guard the area around the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday. AP

Maduro has accused the Trump administration of seeking a change in government to gain access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Trump last month announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of ‌Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Maduro.

"At this moment they are ‍bombing Caracas" Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X. "Alert everyone - they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The (Organization of American States) and the UN must meet immediately."

Petro, who did not ​provide further information or indicate the source of his assertions, has repeatedly expressed opposition to the U.S. pressure campaign.

The US has made a major military buildup in the region, including an aircraft carrier, warships and ​advanced fighter jets ‍stationed in the Caribbean.

In addition to the blackade announcement, Trimp has expanded sanctions and staged ‌more than two dozen strikes on vessels the U.S. alleges were involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

This combination of pictures shows US President Donald Trump (left) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. AFP

Last week, Trump said the United States had "hit" an area in Venezuela where ​boats are loaded ‌with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since the pressure campaign began.

He did not say whether those strikes were carried out by the CIA or not. Other media outlets have reported that the spy agency was behind them.

A US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules taxis on the tarmac at José Aponte de la Torre Airport, formerly Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, on Friday. The United States has deployed a major military force in the Caribbean and has recently intercepted oil tankers as part of a naval blockade against Venezuelan vessels it considers to be under sanctions. Since September, US forces have launched dozens of air strikes on boats that Washington alleges, without showing evidence, were transporting drugs. More than 100 people have been killed. AFP

Trump has accused ‌the South American country of flooding the US with drugs, and his administration has for months been bombing boats originating in South America that it alleges were carrying drugs. Many nations have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings and Maduro's government has ‍always denied any involvement with drug trafficking.

Reuters