Seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to AP News. The Venezuelan government has accused the United States of launching an attack on civilian and military installations in multiple states. The Pentagon has referred inquiries to the White House, which has not yet responded. The Federal Aviation Authority has banned U.S. commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace due to ongoing military activity. Smoke was seen rising from a military base hangar, and another installation in the capital was without power. Residents in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets, with some visible from different parts of Caracas. Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, described the experience as terrifying, stating, 'The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes. We felt like the air was hitting us.' The Venezuelan government has called on its supporters to take to the streets, urging 'People to the streets! The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.' President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the implementation of national defense plans and declared a state of external disturbance. This incident follows the U.S. military's recent targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela expressed openness to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking. Maduro accused the U.S. of attempting to force a government change and gain access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves through months of pressure, including a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August. Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S., and the CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to order strikes on Venezuelan targets and has seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast. The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since September, with 35 known boat strikes and at least 115 deaths as of Friday, according to the Trump administration. These actions followed a significant buildup of American forces in the region, including the arrival of the nation's most advanced aircraft carrier in November, which added thousands more troops to the largest military presence in the region in generations. Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem drug flow into the U.S. and described the U.S. as engaged in an 'armed conflict' with drug cartels. Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela due to their shared enmity of the U.S.
