Venezuela\u2019s authoritarian government has accused the US of launching a series of attacks against civilian and military targets in the South American country, after explosions rocked its capital, Caracas, before dawn on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Venezuela\u2019s government urged citizens to rise up against the assault and said Washington risked plunging Latin America into chaos with \u201can extremely serious\u201d act of \u201cmilitary aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
US media reported that Donald Trump had ordered the strikes against the South American country.<\/p>\n
Explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday. In its statement, Venezuela\u2019s government confirmed that the city had come under attack, as well as three other states: Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only objective of this attack is to seize control of Venezuela\u2019s strategic resources, in particular its oil and minerals,\u201d it said, calling on the international community to denounce what it called a flagrant violation of international law that put millions of lives at risk.<\/p>\n
The president of neighbouring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed on social media that Venezuela was coming under attack. \u201cRight now they are bombing Caracas \u2026 bombing it with missiles,\u201d Petro wrote on X, calling for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council.<\/p>\n
Soon after CBS News reported that Trump had had ordered the attacks \u2013 including on military facilities. The White House and Pentagon did not respond to request for comment.<\/p>\n
At least seven explosions were heard about 2am local time and people in various neighbourhoods rushed to the street, the Associated Press reported. \u201cThe whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance,\u201d said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke pouring from two key military installations in Caracas: the La Carlota military airfield at the heart of the city and the Fuerte Tiuna military base where Venezuela\u2019s authoritarian leader, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, has long been thought to live. Another important airport to the east of Caracas, Higuerote, also appeared to come under attack.<\/p>\n