Videos and pictures are emerging on social media that show what it appears to be a major US military operation now underway around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which includes multiple large explosions and the presence of US special operations helicopters. While there has been no official announcement of the start of such an operation, it comes after months of US military buildup in the region aimed at putting pressure on the cartels and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
See all the latest updates at the bottom of the post.
We have reached out to the White House, the Pentagon, and the US Southern Command for comment and will update this story with any pertinent information provided.
Videos show explosions and clouds of smoke billowing across the horizon.
Other footage shows MH-47 Chinook helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) (and what appear to be MH-60s) flying over Caracas as several explosions go off in the background.
Full-scale military operations against Venezuela appear to be underway, with dozens of US Army helicopters spotted over the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
Based on what we are seeing, which has not been confirmed by the US government at this time, it appears that large-scale kinetic actions inside Venezuela have begun as a new phase of Operation Southern Spear.
We will be updating this post with additional analysis and information. Stand by.
Update: 2:45AM EST—
The Pentagon and SOUTHCOM responded to our inquiry about what was going on and told us to contact the White House without further comment. We haven’t gotten a response yet.
CBS News reports that Trump ordered the attacks, including on military facilities.
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BREAKING through @CBSNews: President Trump ordered strikes on sites inside Venezuela including military facilities, US officials said, as the administration early Saturday stepped up its campaign against the regime of President Nicolás Maduro. via @JimLaPorta and me
Some thoughts on the timing of this operation. Flying special operations helicopter missions deep into contested territory during a nearly full moon is not ideal. It is not clear if anything could have pushed the timetable for such an operation. Venezuela’s air defenses are not advanced, but they are a threat, which you can read all about here. Beyond larger SAM systems, the country also has many man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) that are especially problematic for helicopters, as well as anti-aircraft artillery. Regardless, either the threat was deemed low enough to proceed with helicopter operations or the risk was worth the potential reward of whatever target or targets were after.
It is also worth noting that airstrikes have likely removed known air defenses that could put helicopters at risk, but Venezuela’s MANPADS (if they were widely deployed) and road mobile SAMs are much more difficult, and in many cases impossible, to mitigate with pre-planned strikes. We also expect that either the US had assurances that the Venezuelan fighter force would not fly, and contingencies in place to ensure that they were not, or (more likely) were pre-emptively destroyed on the ground. Beyond combat suppression of enemy air defenses and the counter-air package, electronic and cyber warfare would play a key role in this operation in terms of disrupting Venezuela’s air defenses, as well.
The timing is interesting here. The moon is almost full, far from optimal for this sort of thing, especially using SOF helicopters deep in a metro area like this. The attacks probably helped to clear air defenses for them, but this is not clear at this time. Target could have dictated the calendar…
A video showing a helicopter firing rockets at ground targets is said to be from tonight’s operation, although we cannot confirm this. This looks like a common MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator or MH-6 Little Bird attack rocket run.
One strike appears to have hit a port warehouse:
Update: 3:20 AM EST—
The Government of Venezuela issued a statement condemning the attacks and said that they are seizing the country’s oil and mineral resources.
With what appears to be a very large contingent of 160 SOAR helicopters leading this operation, it seems likely that the USS You want People be used to support them, especially since most of the air wing of this ship has been moved ashore. The mothership of the special operations M/V Ocean Trader is also a critical part of this effort as she has been in the region for months and sails with the You want Peoplebut its ability to support many helicopters is much more limited than an ambitious attack ship.
I imagine the USS Iwo Jima is also acting as a special operations mothership for this. Much of its air wing has been repositioned on the ground. Ocean Trader is of course in the mix as well.
Here’s another video showing what appears to be an MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator making another run:
Footage of a US helicopter (possibly a USMC AH-1Z Viper) engaging ground targets with guns and rockets in Caracas, Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/mT5h1lnFkl
Early reports said that Fort Tiuna was a major focus of the action. This military installation is a center of gravity for the Venezuelan military and has some very unique features, including bunkers/tunnels built into the side of the mountain it faces.
Man… there are some very ‘interesting’ features in this base that pertain to what is built into the hillside.
There have been reports that the presidential palace was targeted in some way this evening, although we cannot confirm this. There are armored vehicles now in position to protect nearby roads:
A Venezuelan Army Armored Wheeled-Gun V-150 “Commando” spotted near the Miraflores Presidential Palace in the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/ToYWjTRlMn
Airports were extensively targeted, with some giving some major highlights:
It appears that there have been some flight diversions to Puerto Rico:
Major diversions of civilian flights away from San Juan in Puerto Rico, as US forces are likely to use the island to launch attacks on Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/rBWwkbMYjC
It should also be noted that all this went down within hours of the Chinese envoy arriving in Caracas, partly to show support for the Maduro regime during the crisis with the United States. The diplomatic party may still be in the capital.
Just hours ago, Maduro held a three-hour meeting in Caracas with Xi’s Special Envoy from China, highlighting how Beijing is quietly deepening its role in the escalating crisis between the United States and Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/LWEBygUtNg
The United States has issued a shelter-in-place order for any Americans remaining in Venezuela:
Update: 4:31 am EST—
Trump issued a statement saying that the United States arrested Maduro and his wife and took them out of the country. This fits exactly with our suspicion that this operation was peculiar in its time and how strange it was to push the 160 SOAR over Caracas so early in the operation during an almost full moon. Now that makes total sense. As our editor stated earlier in the evening when this started:
“The timing is interesting here. The moon is almost full, far from ideal for this kind of thing, especially using SOF helicopters deep in a metro area like this. The strikes probably helped clear air defenses for them, but that’s not clear at this time. The target may have dictated the timeline here. Use your imagination with that.”
The timing is interesting here. The moon is almost full, far from optimal for this sort of thing, especially using SOF helicopters deep in a metro area like this. The attacks probably helped to clear air defenses for them, but this is not clear at this time. Target could have dictated the calendar…
