Bright Flashes Of Fire, Smoke Rising Above Buildings: Visuals Show How US Strikes Hit Venezuela

Multiple secondary explosions rocked the Port of Caracas in Venezuela, as thick smoke and towering flames engulfed the area, captured in visuals from the site.

Videos circulating on social media showed several buildings on fire across Caracas, while loud explosions, along with sounds similar to aircraft flyovers, were heard around 2:00 am local time.

Some reports also claimed that a massive explosion was heard near Higuerote Airport in Miranda in northern Venezuela.

Multiple secondary explosions seen, while flames and smoke emanate from the Port of Caracas in Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/R8OJ4CsdHO

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026

The cause of the explosions and their exact locations were not immediately known.

According to an Associated

Press reporter said at least seven explosions were heard, along with aircraft flying at low altitude over several neighbourhoods of the Venezuelan capital.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has declared a state of emergency, calling on people to mobilise to “defeat this imperialist aggression”.

United States President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, has for weeks threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region.

On Monday, he said the United States had struck and destroyed a docking area used by alleged Venezuelan drug-running boats, in what was seen as the first land-based strike of the military campaign aimed at countering narcotics trafficking from Latin America.

US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.

Trump accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and said his administration is intensifying efforts to crack down on trafficking.

Maduro has denied any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying Washington is seeking to overthrow him because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.