During the early hours of the night of January 3, 2026 several explosions and fires hit the military areas of Caracas.
The attack was claimed by American President Donald Trump on his X profile at 4.30 local time (10.30 am for Italy), confirming the capture and arrest of the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
According to what was reported by ANSA and other international news agencies, in the 23 de Enero neighborhood (west area of the capital), where the presence of Chavista groups is known, there was a strong explosion followed by airplane overflights. Also during the night, smaller explosions also occurred at the La Carlota air base and at Higuerote airport, and even at La Guaira, 40 kilometers from Caracas. According to local sources, the explosions were ended around 2:15 am (7:15 in Italy).
The Colombian president Gustavo Petro wrote on
The Venezuelan government has stated that this is one “very serious military aggression” by the United Statesand President Maduro ha declared a state of emergency.
In his note addressed to Washington, the Venezuelan president wrote:
After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate government remain steadfast in the defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny. The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a ‘regime change’, in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail like all previous attempts.”
Meanwhile, following the explosions, some neighborhoods south of Caracas remained without electricityas also confirmed by Reuters.
But how did we get to all this?
US President Donald Trump, who already had last August deployed a naval flotilla to the Caribbeanhad also publicly stated that the days of Nicolás Maduro’s presidency were “numbered”.
Already last August, a Defense Department official confirmed to the Associated Press that naval ships (three guided missile destroyers, to be precise) had been assigned to the region to support fight against drug trafficking. Trump has stated several times that he wants to fight the cartels, which he holds responsible for the flow of fentanyl and others illicit drugs in the USA.
Maduro, however, firmly maintains that Trump’s USA is attacking Venezuela for take possession of the country’s strategic resources (oil and minerals above all) and break the political independence of the nation.
