Overview
- Venezuelans reported multiple blasts and low-flying aircraft over Caracas, with fires and damage observed near the La Carlota airbase and accounts of detonations at Fuerte Tiuna.
- The government issued a communiqué denouncing a “gravísima agresión militar,” declared a nationwide state of “conmoción exterior,” and ordered defense mobilization with a call to armed struggle.
- CBS News, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Trump ordered attacks inside Venezuela, while the White House and Pentagon had not issued a formal public confirmation.
- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration barred U.S. commercial aircraft from Venezuelan airspace, citing ongoing military activity and safety risks.
- Regional leaders reacted quickly, with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro urging urgent UN and OAS action and Cuba’s leadership condemning the operation, as outages and additional explosions were reported in Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.