Loud explosions reported in Venezuela’s capital amid heightened US military threats, including recent strikes and a naval deployment to the region.
CARACAS: Loud explosions were heard in the Venezuelan capital in the early hours of Saturday.
An AFP journalist reported the sounds, accompanied by noises resembling aircraft flyovers, around 2:00 am local time.
The blasts were still audible around 2:15 am, though their precise location remained unclear.
The incident occurs amid escalating US military pressure on the South American nation.
US President Donald Trump recently raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela.
He has also deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean region.
On Monday, Trump said the United States destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
He declined to specify if it was a military or CIA operation or its exact location.
That attack marked the first known US land strike on Venezuelan soil.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied Monday’s strike.
He said on Thursday he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of pressure.
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel and claims it is cracking down on trafficking.
Maduro denies any involvement in the narcotics trade.
He asserts Washington seeks to overthrow him because Venezuela holds the world’s largest known oil reserves.
Washington has ramped up pressure by informally closing Venezuela’s airspace.
It has also imposed more sanctions and ordered the seizure of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region for weeks.
US forces have carried out numerous strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September.
The administration says these target drug smugglers but has provided no public evidence.
This has prompted debate about the legality of the operations.
The maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to US military data.
