🔗 Share this article Blasts and Low-Altitude Jets Heard in Venezuela's Capital Caracas City Accounts circulated of numerous blasts and the roar of low-flying jets in the Venezuelan capital in the small hours of Saturday. This event has led to allegations from the Venezuelan government and requests for international action. Caracas Condemns Washington of Aggression Venezuela's socialist government has condemned the Washington of what it calls "imperial aggression," claiming that former President Trump supposedly directed military strikes against the South American nation. In an public statement, the government asserted that strikes had targeted the capital and three other provinces: Miranda, La Guaira, and Aragua state. "Our sole aim of this aggression is to gain control of our nation's strategic resources, in particular its crude oil and minerals," the government said. Caracas appealed to the global community to censure the actions, which it termed a "blatant breach of international norms" that put millions of civilians in danger. Accounts of Blasts and Defense Sites Targeted Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing at least seven detonations around the middle of the night local time. Citizens in several neighborhoods reportedly rushed into the streets. "Everything shook. This is frightening. We heard blasts and aircraft in the sky," commented one local. Smoke was reported rising from key military installations in the city: the La Carlota airbase airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna base compound, where president Maduro is believed to reside. International Condemnation The president of bordering Colombia, Gustavo Petro, wrote on X that "At this moment they are striking Caracas... bombing it with projectiles." He requested an urgent emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. Colombia, which recently became a member of the Security Council, stated it would initiate operational plans at its frontier with Venezuela. Preceding Events The alleged strikes come after a extended campaign of pressure by the United States against the Maduro administration. Beginning in August, authorities reported a major US military deployment off Venezuela's Caribbean coast and a number of airstrikes on boats accused of narco-trafficking. The government has stated "the implementation of emergency" and ordered all national defence protocols to be implemented. It has also summoned its citizens to take to the streets and "repudiate this imperialist attack." The White House and the Defense Department have not promptly responded to inquiries for comment regarding the reports.