Air siren raids were heard in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, reportedly similar to those of aeroplanes flying over the area at around 2:00 am local time on Saturday.
AFP journalists in the city confirmed the occurrence of the loud noises.
Full-scale military operations appear to be underway against Venezuela, with dozens of helicopters with the U.S. Army spotted over the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
Multiple unverified images surfaced on social media showing a massive fire with plumes of smoke appearing to be in the south and east of Caracas.
At 2:38 am, a new explosion was felt, and an aircraft continued to fly over the city. Power outages were reported in many areas. Witnesses also reported hearing gunshots.
#AHORA Vista hacia La Carlota, donde se ubica la base aérea de la Fuerza Armada venezolana en Caracas, luego de escucharse varias detonaciones pic.twitter.com/iJPuJReO5s
— NTN24 Venezuela (@NTN24ve) January 3, 2026
In the southern part of Caracas, a military base was left without electricity, Reuters reported. A total of seven explosions were reported, and planes were seen flying overhead. The exact causes of the explosions have not been verified.
Three loud bangs were heard form the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base, accompanied by brief flashes of light. Explosions were also heard from the El Helicoide, used by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), according to local reports.
Colombian President Gustavoo Petro was one of the first to react to the attacks via social media. In a post on X he said,"“They are currently bombing Caracas. Alert the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela. They are bombing with missiles. The OAS and the UN must meet immediately.”
The US had carried out a drone strike in Venezuela targeting port facilities earlier this week in Maracaibo. Trump claimed that the docking area, used by vessels participating in drug trafficking, was destroyed, making it the first US ground attack on Venezuelan soil.
On December 16, U.S. President Donald Trump had declared that the leader of the country, Nicolas Maduro, was a terrorist and that he would impose a “blockade of sanctioned tankers carrying Venezuelan oil." The US had deployed a fleet of warships to the Caribbean and mentioned a possibility of attacks on the Venezuelan territory, and with Trump stating that Maduro’s days were "numbered".
Trump accused Maduro of leading a vast drug trafficking network, which Maduro denied. The Venezuelan dictator claimed that Washington has its eyes set on seizing the country's oil reserves which are one of the largest on the planet.
