According to American officials, President Donald Trump has ordered attacks on military targets in Venezuela. This was reported by the American television company CBS News, citing its sources.
According to The New York Times: eyewitnesses report smoke rising over major military sites in Caracas, including the La Carlota and Fuerte Tiuna military bases. A Pentagon representative confirmed the information about the explosions but refrained from commenting on the role of the USA in this incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a ban on all flights over Venezuela, starting at 6:00 AM on January 3, 2026, effectively closing the country's airspace. This decision raises the level of alarm amid the current events.
According to El Tiempo, an evacuation has been organized from the Fuerte Tiuna military complex in Venezuela.
Explosions are heard in various areas of Caracas, and power outages are also reported. Social media has filled with photos and videos from the scenes, capturing detonations at both the Fuerte Tiuna military base and La Carlota.
The Venezuelan authorities accused the USA of military aggression, noting that the attacks targeted facilities in Caracas as well as in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. President Nicolas Maduro signed a decree declaring a state of emergency.
The head of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, Ivan Gil Pinto, stated that the actions of the USA are a direct military aggression.
According to CBS News, Trump ordered strikes on Venezuela a few days before they were carried out.
According to sources, the military discussed the possibility of an operation on Christmas, but priority was given to US Air Force strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria. Later, after Christmas, more "windows" for attacks became available, but bad weather delayed the operation.
The Pentagon insisted that the weather conditions be suitable for the successful execution of the mission.
According to Sky News Arabia, the home of the Venezuelan Minister of Defense, located at Fuerte Tiuna, was shelled. The strike hit a residential building directly, but information about the minister's condition is currently unavailable.
The Venezuelan authorities accused the USA of attempting to change the regime and promised to protect the country from attacks. "The entire country must unite to resist this imperialist aggression," reads an official statement, which also calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
The Cuban president condemned the attacks on Venezuela, calling them "a criminal assault by the USA." Miguel Diaz-Canel urged the international community to condemn what he called "state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against our America."
Maduro announced a state of emergency and condemned the attacks as an attempt by the USA to seize the country's natural resources. His statement emphasizes that the strikes are aimed at "capturing Venezuela's strategic resources, including oil and minerals," as well as at "violently suppressing the political independence of the country."
The president signed a decree introducing a state of external disorder throughout the country and ordered the implementation of all national defense plans "in a timely manner and under appropriate circumstances." He also called on "all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and condemn this imperialist attack."
It is unknown where Maduro is currently located, but according to sources, some members of his entourage appear to be safe, reports NYT.
