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 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 aerial 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 ended around 2.15 am (7.15 am in Italy).
Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on
The Venezuelan government has stated that this is a “very serious military aggression” by the United States, and President Maduro has 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 electricity, as also confirmed by Reuters.
But how did we get to all this?
US President Donald Trump, who had already deployed a naval flotilla to the Caribbean last August, had also publicly stated that Nicolás Maduro’s presidency had its days “numbered”.
Already last August, a Department of Defense official confirmed to the Associated Press that naval ships (three guided missile destroyers, to be precise) had been assigned to the region to support anti-drug trafficking activities. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to fight the cartels, which he believes are responsible for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the US.
Maduro, however, firmly maintains that Trump’s USA is attacking Venezuela to take possession of the country’s strategic resources (oil and minerals above all) and break the nation’s political independence.
