Daijiworld Media Network - Caracas

Caracas, Jan 3: Explosions were reported across Venezuela overnight on January 3, following a significant U.S. military presence in the Caribbean and heightened threats from President Donald Trump against the Venezuelan government and President Nicolás Maduro.

The overnight blasts come after months of U.S. military action targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, a campaign that began in September 2025. According to reports, at least 35 boats have been attacked, resulting in over 115 deaths, many of them Venezuelan nationals. Trump and his administration defended the strikes as efforts to curb the flow of illegal narcotics, particularly fentanyl, into the U.S.

A sizeable American naval force, including guided missile destroyers, a missile cruiser, Marine Corps amphibious ready groups, and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, has been deployed to the southern Caribbean Sea in recent months. Just days before the explosions, Trump confirmed a CIA-conducted strike on a dock facility in Venezuela.

Critics in the U.S., including lawmakers and former military officials, have condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings that violate international law, citing the lack of intelligence briefings or evidence regarding the vessels’ cargo.

Trump has repeatedly described President Maduro, in power since 2013 after Hugo Chávez’s death, as running Venezuela like a “narco-terrorist” cartel responsible for American deaths, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.

No official comment was provided by the Pentagon or U.S. Southern Command, with inquiries referred to the White House, which did not respond immediately.