Venezuelan President Declares State of Emergency as Venezuela Says Caracas targeted by U.S.
Venezuela declared a state of emergency after President Nicolás Maduro said Caracas was targeted by missile attacks. The government accused the United States of military aggression, reported explosions at key sites, and ordered nationwide mobilization.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Venezuela was thrust into a state of emergency early Saturday after President Nicolás Maduro said the capital, Caracas, was under missile attack, as explosions were reported across multiple civilian and military sites and the government accused the United States of carrying out a direct act of aggression.
In his first public comment on the strikes targeting the capital, President Nicolás Maduro said, “The capital, Caracas, is now being bombarded with missiles.” Venezuela’s foreign minister later announced that Maduro had ordered the declaration of a state of emergency across the country.
Venezuelan media reported explosions at La Guaira port in Vargas state, the country’s largest seaport, as well as along the coast and in the city of Higuerote. According to the reports, the attacks also targeted Higuerote Airport, La Carlota air base, and the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas.
US network CBS reported that officials in the administration of President Donald Trump were aware of reports of explosions and aircraft flying over Caracas during the early morning hours.
In a series of statements, Venezuela’s foreign minister described the attacks as “a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter” that threatens international peace and stability. He said what was taking place amounted to “an aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and would be met by the immediate activation of all defense plans. He further described the attack as “imperialist aggression” by the United States and said Venezuela “strongly rejects the dangerous military aggression launched by the US government.”
In an official statement issued by the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Caracas said it “rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population” in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. The statement said the attack constituted a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter and threatened peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The government statement accused Washington of seeking to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly oil and minerals, and of attempting to impose a colonial war aimed at forcing regime change. It said the Venezuelan people and government would defend sovereignty and independence, invoking historical resistance to foreign intervention and calling on the population to mobilize.
The statement said the government had ordered the activation of national defense plans in accordance with the constitution and relevant laws. It announced the signing and implementation of a decree declaring a State of External Commotion across the entire country, the deployment of comprehensive national defense command bodies in all states and municipalities, and the mobilization of social and political forces to confront what it described as aggression.
The government said it would raise formal complaints before the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Non-Aligned Movement, while reserving its right to legitimate self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
In related developments, Reuters reported that electricity was cut in an area near a military base south of the capital, without an immediate official comment from Venezuelan authorities. The agency said aircraft were heard and seen over Caracas, accompanied by loud noises and at least one visible column of smoke in the early hours of Saturday.
The escalation comes amid a prolonged crisis between Caracas and Washington. President Maduro has previously said he was prepared to negotiate with the United States on “anything it wants,” including counter-narcotics cooperation, oil, and economic agreements. He reiterated this position in a televised interview on Thursday with Venezuela’s state-run VTV channel.
The United States has applied intense pressure on Venezuela for months, accusing Maduro of leading a large drug trafficking network. Since September, US forces have carried out around thirty strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific against boats Washington suspects of involvement in drug trafficking, resulting in the deaths of about 107 people, according to the information provided. The United States has not presented evidence proving that the targeted boats were transporting drugs.
Caracas maintains that the accusations are false and part of an effort by the Trump administration to overthrow Maduro and gain control over Venezuela’s vast oil resources.
As Venezuela declares a nationwide state of emergency and calls for mass mobilization, the government’s accusation of direct US military aggression marks a sharp escalation in tensions, with Caracas warning that the country’s sovereignty and regional stability are now at stake.