As the United States carried out a large-scale military strike in Caracas early on Saturday, an unusual late-night rush at a pizza outlet near the Pentagon caught the attention of social media users.
A
sharp rise in orders was reported at a popular pizzeria close to the US military headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the early hours of January 3. Such spikes are often watched closely by online observers, as they are sometimes linked to heightened activity inside the Pentagon during major security operations.
The account Pentagon Pizza Report, which tracks food outlet traffic near the defence complex and posts updates on X, flagged the sudden surge.
“Pizzato Pizza, a late-night pizzeria nearby the Pentagon, has suddenly surged in traffic. As of 2:04 AM ET,” the account posted.
Pizzato Pizza, a late night pizzeria nearby the Pentagon, has suddenly surged in traffic.
As of 2:04am ET pic.twitter.com/P60jMKfT1d
— Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) January 3, 2026
The activity reportedly continued for more than an hour. In a later update, the account said the outlet had “emptied out, reporting essentially 0 traffic” by 3:44 AM ET, after seeing heavy footfall for nearly 90 minutes.
Pizzato Pizza, a late night pizzeria nearby the Pentagon, continues to report high activity.
As of 3:05am ET pic.twitter.com/IbjHq44Q1x
— Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) January 3, 2026
Similar late-night rushes at food joints near the Pentagon have been noted in the past. In June last year, fast-food outlets in the area saw a comparable spike when Israel was preparing to launch airstrikes on Iran under Operation Lion.
US Strikes And Trump’s Announcement
US President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that the United States had carried out what he described as a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been “captured” and “flown out of the country”.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote, adding that a news conference would be held at Mar-a-Lago at 11 AM local time.
Even before Trump’s statement, residents in Caracas reported hearing loud explosions around 2 AM local time. Social media posts showed fires in several parts of the city, while a power outage was reported in the southern area near a major military base.
The operation marks Washington’s first direct military intervention in Latin America since 1989, when US forces invaded Panama to remove Manuel Noriega.
Venezuela Reacts
The Venezuelan government declared a national emergency and strongly condemned the US action. In a statement, Maduro’s administration 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 people”.
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel and has publicly suggested that stepping down would be the wiser choice. When asked last month whether US pressure was meant to force Maduro out after 12 years in power, Trump said: “That’s up to him, what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that.”
“If he wants to do something — if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” AFP quoted the US president as saying.
