Explosions and low-flying aircraft heard in Venezuela’s Caracas

Caracas: At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2am local time Saturday in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At least seven explosions have been reported, while the sound of aircraft could also be heard.Credit: AP

People in various neighbourhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas, according to Associated Press.

This comes as the US military has been targeting in recent days alleged drug-smuggling boats.

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On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking.

The South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, also said the US wanted to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the months-long pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes on boats in September.

US President Donald Trump has for months threatened to launch strikes on targets on Venezuelan land.

The US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September.

As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35 and the number of people killed was at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the US.

Pedestrians are seen running after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas.Credit: AP

Soldiers have been seen guarding the presidential palace.Credit: AP

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