Explosions Over Caracas - A Night of Detonations and Unanswered Questions

Shortly after two o’clock in the morning, Caracas was jolted awake. At least seven explosions shook the Venezuelan capital, accompanied by low-flying aircraft whose roar cut through several neighborhoods. People ran into the streets, smoke rose over a military installation near La Carlota airport, and another barracks was reportedly without power for a time. What exactly lay behind the detonations initially remained unclear. Neither the Venezuelan government nor the Pentagon or the White House immediately responded to requests for comment.

Caracas, Fuerte Tiuna, the La Carlota air base and a communications center in El Hatillo

Eyewitnesses described a situation filled with fear and disorientation. “The whole ground was shaking. It was terrifying. We heard explosions and planes,” said 21-year-old office worker Carmen Hidalgo, who was returning with relatives from a birthday celebration. “It felt like the air was slamming into us.” In several districts, people could be seen hastily seeking shelter or trying to get their bearings. At the same time, it was striking that state television did not interrupt its programming and instead continued broadcasting segments about music and art.

The explosions come at a time of sharply heightened tensions. In recent days, the US military has repeatedly attacked boats it classifies as part of drug trafficking operations. Just on Friday, Caracas had signaled that it was in principle open to talks with the United States on combating the drug trade. At the same time, President Nicolas Maduro accuses Washington of seeking to force a change of government and gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. That strategy, Maduro says, began with the massive US military buildup in the Caribbean that started back in August.

The United States accuses Maduro of narco-terrorism. In the past week, it became known that US intelligence was behind a drone strike on a dock allegedly used by drug cartels. It was the first known direct action on Venezuelan soil since the boat attacks began in September. President Trump had previously announced repeatedly that he would not rule out targets on land. In parallel, the United States seized sanctioned oil tankers and ordered the blockade of additional ships, a move that further increases economic pressure on the country.

Since early September, the US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. According to the US government, 35 such operations have been carried out so far, with at least 115 people killed. The strikes followed an extraordinary troop buildup off South America that was further intensified in November by the deployment of the most advanced US aircraft carrier. Trump justifies the operations as a necessary escalation against drug trafficking and openly speaks of an armed conflict with cartels.

That the events in Caracas were also being closely watched internationally became apparent just a few hours later. Iranian state television reported on the explosions and showed images from the Venezuelan capital. Tehran and Caracas have for years been linked by a close political relationship, driven by their shared opposition to the United States. What actually happened that night remains unresolved. One thing is certain: the explosions have further intensified an already tense situation. Caracas awoke at a moment when military pressure, geopolitical threats and economic strangulation policies have moved dangerously close together. Our investigations are ongoing, including on the ground.

And one question already presents itself: the warning issued by the US aviation authority FAA, a so called “Notice to Airmen”, was released shortly after one o’clock in the morning on the US East Coast. It advised all commercial and private US pilots that the airspace over Venezuela, as well as over the small island nation of Curaçao north of the Venezuelan coast, was closed - “due to risks to flight safety associated with ongoing military activities”. Why, one might ask?

To be continued .....