Venezuela accuses US of trying to ‘seize control’ of country’s resources
Tom Phillips
Venezuela’s authoritarian government has accused the US of risking plunging Latin America into chaos with “an extremely serious” act of “imperial aggression” after Donald Trump reportedly ordered strikes against the South American country.
Explosions, loud noises and low-flying aircraft were heard in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in the early hours of Saturday amid reports that Trump had ordered the attack. In a statement, Venezuela’s government confirmed that Caracas had come under attack, as well as three other states: Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.
“The only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela’s strategic resources, in particular its oil and minerals,” it said, calling on the international community to denounce what it called a flagrant violation of international law that put millions of lives at risk.
Key events
Venezuela accuses US over attacks
Venezuela rejects “military aggression” by the United States, the government of president Nicolas Maduro said in a statement early Saturday.
“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”
The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defence plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance”.
We’ll bring you more on this when we have it…
Venezuela’s government has now commented on the explosions, which it says were due to attacks on the country.
The attacks took place in Caracas and Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira states, the government says in a statement carried by Reuters.
Tom Phillips
My colleague and the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips has more on the situation in Caracas:
Explosions, loud noises and low-flying aircraft have been heard in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, amid reports that Donald Trump had ordered strikes against the South American country.
In the early hours of Saturday the president of neighbouring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed on social media that Venezuela had come under attack. “Right now they are bombing Caracas … bombing it with missiles,” Petro wrote on X, calling for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council.
Soon after CBS News reported that Trump had had ordered the attacks – including on military facilities.
At least seven explosions were heard about 2am local time and people in various neighbourhoods rushed to the street, the Associated Press reported.
“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke pouring from two key military installations in Caracas: the La Carlota military airfield at the heart of the city and the Fuerte Tiuna military base where Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, has long been thought to live.
Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The explosions come after a five-month US pressure campaign against Maduro, which many analysts believe is designed to topple the Venezuelan leader. Since August, Donald Trump has ordered a massive military buildup off Venezuela’s northern coast and conducted a series of deadly airstrikes on supposed “narco boats”.
The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday morning.
Colombian president calls for emergency UN security council meeting
The president of neighbouring Colombia is claiming on social media that Venezuela is under attack.
“Right now they are bombing Caracas … bombing it with missiles,” Gustavo Petro wrote on X, calling for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council.
He added: “Colombia since yesterday is a member of the United Nations Security Council and must be convened immediately. Establish the international legality of the aggression against Venezuela. The PMU is activated in Cúcuta and the operational plan at the border.”
Explosions reported in Caracas
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the developing situation in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Witnesses have reported hearing explosions and aircraft in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A southern area of the city, near a major military base, is reported to be without electricity.
We’ll bring you updates when we get them.
