Explosions in Caracas: "The US is attacking"
Updated 10.00 | Published 07.28
Explosions have been heard in Venezuela.
Pictures from the capital show people fleeing in panic.
A message is playing on state television accusing the US of the attacks.
It was one of the AFP news agency's journalists in the country who first reported the explosions in the capital Caracas.
Residents also report that explosions have occurred and that there are fires in several places, reports the Bloomberg news agency.
A written message is suddenly playing on Venezuelan state television calling the attacks a "colonial war" carried out by the US.
"The Republic of Venezuela rejects, distances itself from and condemns before the international community the very serious military aggression committed by the current government of the United States," the message reads, before the broadcast is cut off.
It is also US President Donald Trump who is said to have ordered the attacks on Venezuela and the country's military facilities, two US government representatives tell CBS News.
According to the sources, Trump gave the green light to the attack several days ago.
In videos that are said to show the explosions, large flames are seen followed by several loud bangs.
According to the CNN team on the scene, the first explosion was heard at 01:50 at night, local time, 06:50 in Sweden.
AP reports that at least seven explosions were heard in Caracas and that low-flying aircraft were seen.
The southern parts of the capital, which are located near a military base, are currently without power, according to Reuters.
According to the Bloomberg news agency, fires are still burning in several places in the capital several hours later.
Explosions have also been heard in other parts of Venezuela. Among them in the La Guaira district, about 30 kilometers from Caracas, according to local media. Explosions have also been heard in the Fort Tiuna district, where the Defense Ministry is said to be located.
Local media also report explosions in the town of Higuerote, about 120 kilometers from the capital.
The US aviation authority FAA has imposed a flight ban on American commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace due to “ongoing military activity,” reports the AP.
Colombian president: “The UN must come together”
On X, neighboring Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro reacts to the explosions.
“They are bombing Caracas. Warning to the whole world. Venezuela has been attacked. They are bombing with missiles,” the president writes, continuing:
“The OAS and the UN must meet immediately.”
The president does not name who he believes carried out the bombings.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez also condemns the attacks and believes that the outside world must intervene.
“Cuba condemns and demands an IMMEDIATE reaction from the international community to the US’s criminal attack on Venezuela. Our zone of peace is being subjected to a brutal attack. State terrorism directed against the brave Venezuelan people and against our America,” he writes on X.
Government statement: US wants to overthrow Venezuela
A statement from the Venezuelan government states that the US is behind the attacks, which aim to “overthrow the Republic of Venezuela”.“The aim of this attack is nothing more than to steal Venezuela’s strategic resources, especially its oil and minerals, in an attempt to forcibly break the nation’s political independence. They will not succeed”, the statement continues.
The government states that Maduro is declaring a state of emergency and “implementing the full national defense plan”:
“to protect the rights of the population, ensure the full functioning of the republican institutions and immediately resort to armed struggle. The entire country must be activated to defeat this imperialist aggression”, the statement continues.
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