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A lingering odor of explosives hung implicit Venezuela’s superior Caracas connected Saturday (January 3, 2026) arsenic shocked residents took banal aft an early-morning U.S. onslaught that ousted strongman Nicolas Maduro.
While a fewer 100 Maduro supporters gathered to clamor for his freedom, the streets were different eerily quiet.
“I felt the explosions assistance maine retired of bed. In that instant I thought: ‘My God, the time has come,’ and I cried,” Maria Eugenia Escobar, a 58-year-old nonmigratory of the metropolis of six cardinal people, told AFP.
US subject onslaught connected Venezuela LIVE updates
The strikes started astir 2:00 a.m. section time, with dozens of detonations that immoderate radical astatine archetypal mistook for fireworks.
Windows rattled from the shockwaves and residents rushed retired onto terraces and balconies arsenic subject craft zoomed overhead.
“It was horrible, we felt the planes flying implicit our house,” said a nonmigratory of the Coche neighborhood, adjacent the city’s largest subject complex, which was targeted successful the raid.
Residents saw columns of fume rising from respective parts of the city, which was soon cloaked successful a fog-like haze.
Witnesses spoke of bombings successful La Guaira, Caracas’s airdrome and port, successful Maracay to the west, and successful Higuerote to the east.
‘Absurd!
In the aftermath, Venezuelans soon learned their long-ruling person Maduro was out.
U.S. peculiar forces seized Nicolas Maduro and took him to look proceedings successful New York.
A fewer 100 supporters gathered successful Caracas to request quality of their leader’s fate.
“Long unrecorded Nicolas Maduro,” echoed a rally outcry from a hastily erected signifier with speakers blaring revolutionary music.
“Long live!” responded the crowd.
Katia Briceno, a 54-year-old assemblage professor, came retired to protestation against what she described arsenic US “barbarism.”
“How is it that a overseas authorities comes into the state and removes the president? It’s absurd!” she told AFP.
Apart from the protesters, determination were fewer Venezuelans out, and conscionable occasional cars connected the usually bustling streets.
Those who did task retired did truthful nether the watchful oculus of black-clad agents patrolling the halfway with agelong guns.
Many stores were closed aft the attack, portion queues formed astatine others that were letting radical successful a fewer astatine a time.
Damage from the explosions was mostly constricted to subject installations, wherever vehicles stood riddled by bullets, others smouldering and charred.
Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez accused the US forces of attacking civilian areas with missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters.
President Donald Trump said nary U.S. soldiers died successful Saturday’s strikes, but the toll connected the Venezuelan broadside remained unknown.
For residents of Caracas, the aboriginal is uncertain.
Mr. Trump said helium was “not acrophobic of boots connected the ground” and mooted the anticipation of a “much bigger” 2nd question of strikes if necessary.
He besides said the United States volition “run” Venezuela until a governmental modulation occurs.
Opposition person Maria Corina Machado insists Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom the Opposition says won elections successful July 2024 successful which Mr. Maduro claimed victory, “must instantly presume his law mandate” arsenic President.
Mr. Trump appeared to scotch immoderate anticipation that Ms. Machado herself mightiness look arsenic Venezuela’s caller leader. She does not person “support oregon respect” there, helium said.
Mr. Trump indicated helium could instead enactment with Mr. Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, saying “she’s fundamentally consenting to bash what we deliberation is indispensable to marque Venezuela large again.”
Neighboring Colombia was reinforcing its borderline with Venezuela, utilizing tanks and equipped soldiers who usually combat guerrillas to unafraid the frontier.
Colombian information forces deployed astatine the main borderline crossings connected the orders of leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has clashed with Trump implicit his months-long subject buildup successful the region.
Petro’s authorities has warned of a imaginable humanitarian situation with migrants pouring implicit the borderline from Venezuela.
However, connected the Simon Bolivar span successful Villa del Rosaria, the main crossing point, the fig of radical walking crossed connected Saturday was acold beneath normal.
