U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States has successfully carried out a “large-scale” attack on Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are reported to have been captured and removed from the country.
The attacks took place in the early hours of January 3 over Caracas and its surrounding areas. Venezuelan authorities also reported strikes on targets in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
Shortly before 2:00 a.m. local time, the first explosions were heard over Caracas, along with the sound of aircraft flying over the capital. Aerial bombings were reported at Fuerte Tiuna, the main military base in Caracas, located south of the city, which has been left completely without power. Attacks also took place at the Cuartel de la Montaña and La Carlota Air Base.
Airlines continue flight suspensions
On November 21, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urged caution to airlines flying over Venezuela due to “military activity in the area.” Iberia, Air Europa, TAP, Avianca, and Gol have extended their flight suspensions at least until January 31.
On Saturday, at 06:00 UTC, the FAA issued a new notice prohibiting any U.S. aircraft from operating at any altitude in Venezuelan airspace. On public flight trackers such as Flightradar24, there was no visible commercial traffic over Venezuela early on Saturday.
Previous attacks
Since September, the Trump administration has been waging a campaign against drug-running boats operating in the Caribbean and the western Pacific. Although it lacks authorization from the U.S. Congress — a requirement in the event of war — U.S. aircraft have carried out 18 attacks against some 30 vessels suspected of being traffickers. At least eight of these boats originated in Venezuela, according to data from ACLED, which monitors armed conflicts worldwide.
As early as the beginning of this year, Trump had deployed an imposing fleet in Central American waters: at least 3,000 troops, an aircraft carrier, and several reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. The following chart summarizes the main U.S. assets in the region in November.
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