Venezuela accuses US of ‘military aggression’ after Caracas blasts

A tense dawn shrouded Caracas on Saturday as the Venezuelan capital was shaken by a series of deafening explosions and the distant roar of aircraft, sending plumes of smoke spiraling into the early morning sky.

Panic gripped residents, who rushed into the streets in fear, while brief power outages and partial disruptions to telecommunications added to the sense of chaos. Eyewitnesses counted at least seven blasts, with several occurring near key military installations, though authorities have yet to confirm casualties or the full extent of the damage.

In its first official statement since the terrifying events, the Venezuelan government unleashed a sharp rebuke of the United States under Donald Trump, branding the incidents as “extremely serious military aggression” and accusing Washington of attempting to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and mineral wealth, in a bid to undermine the nation’s political independence.

President Nicolás Maduro declared a national emergency in response to the explosions, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Videos circulating on social media captured smoke rising from multiple locations across the city, though authorities cautioned that the authenticity of some images remains unverified.

The incident follows a series of increasingly fraught interactions between Caracas and Washington. In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified sanctions, augmented military presence in the region, and repeatedly threatened potential ground operations aimed at ousting Maduro. The US has also accused Venezuelan entities of collaborating with Iran on the procurement of combat UAVs and missile-related items, imposing targeted sanctions against individuals and organizations in both countries.

US officials, including State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott and Treasury Under secretary John K. Hurley, have stressed that these measures aim to curtail Iran’s military-industrial reach and protect US interests across the Western Hemisphere, including safeguarding commercial shipping routes in the Red Sea.

Relations between the two nations remain frayed, with Caracas accusing Washington of a campaign of regime change under the guise of anti-narcotics operations. Last December, the CIA carried out its first known land strike inside Venezuela, targeting a coastal dock believed to be used for drug smuggling — an operation emblematic of the mounting tensions between the oil-rich nation and the United States.

As Caracas reels from the morning’s blasts, the city stands cloaked in uncertainty, its streets and skies echoing the perilous crossroads of diplomacy, military posturing, and the volatile intersection of geopolitical ambition and national sovereignty.

With IANS inputs