Several explosions were heard around 2 a.m. local time in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, according to videos and photos showing smoke and fireballs in the night sky over the city.
U.S. officials confirmed to FWRD AXIS News that the United States has launched military strikes on Venezuela at President Donald Trump’s direction.
CBS News was the first to report on the U.S. strikes on Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas.
The strikes come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, including the targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued an alert prohibiting U.S. civil aircraft from flying over Venezuela “due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity,” according to the FAA.
The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning what it called “the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America” in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
“This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, especially Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force. Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people at grave risk,” the statement read.
Trump has pressed Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro to step down, and on Dec. 18 told NBC News he was leaving the possibility of a war with the country on the table.
TeleSUR, a Venezuelan state TV channel, on a post on X, shared a statement from the Venezuelan government.
“Venezuela denounces the United States’ aggression against Venezuelan territory and population in the civil and military locations in the city of Caracas, the states Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira,” the official communication from the government said.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
