The capital of the Latin American country has been hit by a series of attacks that Venezuelan authorities have described as a “U.S. aggression.” US President Trump says President Nicolas Maduro has been captured together with his wife and flown out of the country.

By Guglielmo Gallone

A series of explosions struck Venezuela’s capital Caracas overnight along with low-flying aircraft surveiling the area, reported around 2:00 a.m. local time in several neighborhoods of the city. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that “the United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, capture and flown out of the Country.” He added that the operation was conducted in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement and announced a press conference to be held in the coming hours at Mar-a-Lago.

According to journalists present at the scene, at least seven detonations shook the metropolitan area, prompting many residents to go out into the streets. Fires and columns of smoke were observed in several parts of the capital, and power outages occurred in some areas of Caracas. The attacks reportedly hit military installations and strategic infrastructure, including the Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda air base in La Carlota, the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, the Mamo Military Academy in La Guaira, the Higuerote air base and airport, as well as areas such as Catia and the 23 de Enero neighborhood. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared a nationwide state of emergency and called for the mobilization of the population, denouncing what he described as a “very serious military aggression.”

In a series of official statements, the Caracas government attributed the attacks to the United States, speaking of a “serious military aggression” and a “blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, in particular the principles of sovereignty and the prohibition of the use of force.” The Maduro government accused Washington of seeking to seize the country’s strategic resources, starting with oil and minerals, and of attempting regime change through what it described as a “colonial war” carried out with the support of “local fascist oligarchies.” According to Caracas, the attacks also targeted residential areas housing senior military leadership and some of the main structures of the Venezuelan armed forces.