The United States has carried out strikes inside Venezuela, a US official said, after explosions rocked the capital Caracas following months of threats from US President Donald Trump to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Venezuelan government announced that attacks were also carried out in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, prompting Maduro to declare a state of emergency and mobilize defense forces.
According to testimonies from Reuters journalists and footage circulating on social media, explosions, planes and columns of black smoke could be seen across Caracas from around 2am, lasting approximately 90 minutes.
Across the city, Venezuelans expressed shock and fear as they recorded videos of thick smoke and bright orange flashes in the sky.
Witnesses said the power outage hit the southern part of Caracas, near a large military base.
Trump has repeatedly promised ground operations in the South American oil country, which Maduro has ruled since 2013.
The United States, the Venezuelan opposition and numerous other countries claim that Maduro rigged the election last year to stay in power.
While Trump has not publicly detailed his goals, he has privately pressured Maduro to leave the country, Reuters reported. Trump said on Monday that it would be "wise" for Maduro to leave power.
The Pentagon referred all questions about the attacks to the White House, which declined to comment.
The Venezuelan government said in a statement that the aim of the attack was for the United States to take control of the country's oil and mineral resources, adding that the US "will not succeed" in that intention.
"They are bombing Caracas at this moment," Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on the social network X.
"Warn everyone – they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. (The Organization of American States) and the United Nations must meet immediately."
Petro has repeatedly expressed opposition to the American pressure campaign.
The United States has significantly increased its military presence in the region, including an aircraft carrier, warships, and modern fighter jets deployed in the Caribbean.
Trump has sought to impose a "blockade" of Venezuelan oil, expanded sanctions against Maduro's government and ordered more than two dozen attacks on vessels that the US claims were involved in drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Last week, Trump said the United States had "hit" an area in Venezuela where it claims drug boats are loaded, marking the first known instance of Washington conducting ground operations in the country since the start of the pressure campaign.
He did not specify whether the attacks were carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), although other media outlets reported that the agency was behind them.
Trump has accused Venezuela of flooding the United States with drugs, and his administration has been bombing ships leaving South America for months, claiming they are carrying narcotics. Many countries have condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings, while Maduro's government has consistently denied any involvement in the drug trade.
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