Caracas, Venezuela – Early Saturday morning, residents in Venezuela’s capital reported a series of powerful explosions and low-flying aircraft, as the Venezuelan government accused the United States of launching attacks on multiple civilian and military sites across the country.
According to President Donald Trump, Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. forces and flown out of the country.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country”, Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Venezuelans in Caracas said they heard at least seven blasts around 2 a.m. local time, with smoke rising from key installations and widespread electrical outages reported in parts of the city.
The Venezuelan government publicly blamed U.S. forces for what it called “military aggression,” claiming attacks occurred in several states including Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua, as well as in the capital. Officials called on citizens to protest and declared a “state of external disturbance,” giving the military temporary expanded powers.
According to Venezuelan authorities, both civilian and military facilities were struck, though independent verification of specific targets and casualties was not immediately available. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show explosions and panic in Caracas neighborhoods, but analysts cautioned that footage could not yet be independently authenticated, according to the Associated Press.
In response to the events, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a ban on U.S. commercial flights over Venezuelan airspace, citing active military operations. The Pentagon deferred questions to the White House, which had not released an official statement at the time of reporting.
This dramatic escalation comes amid months of growing U.S. pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government, including sanctions and a campaign targeting drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific. In recent weeks, U.S. forces reportedly seized Venezuelan oil tankers and carried out strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels — operations that have already resulted in over 100 deaths, according to reporting on the broader military effort, according to reporting from CBS News.
U.S. and Venezuelan relations have been strained for years, with Washington accusing Maduro of running a narco-state and seeking his removal from power.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject matter expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
