Explosions Reported in Venezuela’s Capital

It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts. The United States has been building pressure on Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s authoritarian president, for months.Smoke rising near La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday.Credit...Matias Delacroix/Associated PressJan. 3, 2026, 1:43 a.m. ETExplosions were reported in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas on Saturday. It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts.The explosions in the country came after months of threats, warnings and accusations of drug smuggling from President Trump and the U.S. government, all aimed at Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, whom the State Department has branded the head of a “narco-terrorist” state.Top Trump aides have pushed to oust Mr. Maduro, a self-described socialist who has led Venezuela since 2013. U.S. officials have called him an illegitimate leader and have accused him of controlling criminal groups tied to drug trafficking, charges he denies.Since late August, the Pentagon has amassed troops, aircraft and warships in the Caribbean, and the U.S. military has attacked many small vessels that U.S. officials maintained were smuggling drugs, killing at least 105 people.A broad range of experts on the use of lethal force have said that the strikes amount to illegal extrajudicial killings, but the Trump administration has asserted they are consistent with the laws of war because the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Anatoly Kurmanaev covers Russia and its transformation following the invasion of Ukraine.SKIP