Strong explosions, with sounds similar to aircraft flying over Caracas, occurred today at around 02:00 (06:00 in Lisbon) in the capital of Venezuela, said a journalist from the France-Presse news agency.
The explosions come after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who sent an unprecedented military deployment to the waters of the Caribbean, raised the possibility of land attacks against Venezuela and stated that the days of his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, were numbered.
The sounds of explosions continued to be heard around 02:15 (06:15 in Lisbon).
At least seven explosions and low-altitude aircraft were heard in Caracas, leading residents of several neighborhoods in the capital to abandon their homes and run into the streets.
Images of large fires with columns of smoke were published on social media, but it is not possible to precisely locate the location of the explosions, which appear to have occurred in the south and east of Caracas.
Some cybernauts reported detonations at the country’s main military base, Fort Tiuna, west of the capital, and at the La Carlota air base.
“Fort Tiuna is exploding,” said people who recorded videos from their home windows.
The Government of Venezuela has not yet responded to a request for comment on the explosions.
On December 22, Donald Trump stated that it would be wise for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to abandon power, at a time when Washington was increasing military pressure on Caracas.
“It’s up to him [Maduro] decide what you want to do. I think it would be wise of him,” said the American leader, asked if Washington’s objective was to force the Venezuelan leader to give up power.
Asked about his statements regarding interventions on land, in addition to the sea, to contain drug trafficking, Trump stated that they apply “to any place where drugs come from, not just Venezuela”.
The United States’ military mobilization in the Caribbean and Pacific aims to intercept vessels allegedly loaded with drugs that Washington associates with the Maduro Government, accused of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, something that Caracas vehemently denies.
Last Monday, Donald Trump stated that the United States destroyed a docking area used by ships accused of involvement in drug trafficking in Venezuela, in what could be the first land operation.
On Friday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that a US missile had hit a target in the Venezuelan region of Alta Guajira, which borders Colombia, as part of the US campaign against drug trafficking.
