The United States launched military operations against Venezuela overnight on Jan. 3, according to media reports and statements from Venezuela’s government.
The explosions followed a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and repeated threats by President Donald Trump against Venezuela’s government and President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela’s government has declared a state of emergency, condemning what it described as “extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population.”
Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 a.m. Footage circulating online showed fires at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, and burning vehicles at La Carlota air base.
U.S. authorities offered no immediate public comment. The Pentagon and U.S. Southern Command have so far referred inquiries to the White House, which did not issue an immediate statement. The scope of the operation and its objectives as at press time were not immediately clear.
Multiple U.S. news outlets reported that the blasts were part of a Trump administration attack on Venezuela. Venezuela’s opposition, led by 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, said it had no official comment.
🚨 ÚLTIMA HORA
Se visualizan las aeronaves estadounidenses en territorio venezolano. pic.twitter.com/LUHLXp9e1e
— Emmanuel Rincón (@EmmaRincon) January 3, 2026
JUST IN – The entire U.S. air force has disabled virtually all flight tracking transponders — FlightRadar24 pic.twitter.com/LG4qaXr1yp
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 3, 2026
🚨#BREAKING: Reuters reports that U.S. ground forces and United States Air Force assets are currently on the ground and active in and around Caracas, Venezuela. Multiple explosions have been reported and observed across the capital as operations continue. pic.twitter.com/96mTpvxmQX
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 3, 2026
BREAKING:
U.S. helicopters are POUNDING the Venezuelan military complex Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas pic.twitter.com/l9jblj2O5a
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 3, 2026
The U.S. State Department acknowledged “reports of explosions in and around Caracas” on the U.S. Embassy Venezuela website and urged American citizens in the country to shelter in place and leave as soon as it is safe to do so. The advisory reiterated earlier guidance warning all U.S. citizens to depart Venezuela immediately. The U.S. embassy in Caracas has been closed since 2019, with consular matters handled through Colombia.
The explosions come amid a widening U.S. military campaign in the region. Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out attacks on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. The campaign escalated in late December with the seizure of oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuelan ports.
A large American naval presence has since assembled in the southern Caribbean, including guided missile destroyers, a missile cruiser, and a Marine Corps amphibious ready group aboard Navy landing ships. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was also deployed to the region in recent months.
Days before the apparent attack, President Trump confirmed that the CIA had conducted a land strike against a dock facility in Venezuela. The administration has said it has targeted at least 35 boats in international waters, resulting in at least 115 deaths, many of them Venezuelans. U.S. officials have defended the strikes as efforts to curb drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl.
Criticism has mounted in Washington, with lawmakers from both parties questioning the legality of the operations and the lack of intelligence briefings to Congress. Some legal analysts and former military officials have described the strikes as potential violations of international law.
“We have no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war,” Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said, criticizing the administration for failing to explain the actions to the American public.
