Videos and images appear on social media showing what appear to be a large-scale US military operation 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 a US military build-up 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, Pentagon and US Southern Command for comment and will update this story with any relevant information provided.
Videos show explosions and the resulting plumes of smoke along the horizon.
Other videos show 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) MH-47 Chinook helicopters (and what appear to be MH-60s) flying over Caracas as several explosions erupt in the background.
Large-scale military operations appear to be underway against Venezuela, with dozens of US military helicopters spotted over the capital Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
Based on what we are seeing, which has yet to be 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 update this post with additional analysis and information. Waiting.
Update: 2:45 AM 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. I haven’t received a reply yet.
CBS News reports that Trump ordered the strikes, including on military installations.
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BREAK through @CBSNews: President Trump ordered strikes on sites in Venezuela, including military facilities, US officials said, as the administration stepped up its campaign against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime early Saturday. by @JimLaPorta me too
Some thoughts on the timing of this operation. Flying special operations helicopter missions deep into contested territory during near full moons is far from ideal. It’s unclear if anything might have pushed back a timeline for such an operation. Venezuela’s air defenses are not advanced, but they are a threat, which you can read all about here. Beyond the larger SAM systems, the country also has many man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) that are particularly problematic for helicopters as well as anti-aircraft artillery. Regardless, either the threat was deemed low enough to move forward with helicopter operations, or the risk was worth the potential reward to the target or targets they were after.
It’s also worth noting that airstrikes likely wiped out known air defenses that could put helicopters at risk, but Venezuela’s MANPADS (if they were widely deployed) and road-mobile SAMs are much harder and in many cases impossible to mitigate with pre-planned strikes. We would also expect that either the US had assurances that Venezuela’s fighter force would not fly, and that contingencies were in place to ensure they did not, or that they were (more likely) pre-emptively destroyed on the ground. Beyond the combat suppression of enemy air defenses and the counter-air package, electronic and cyber warfare would have played a major role in this operation also in blunting Venezuela’s air defenses.
The weather is interesting here. The moon is almost full, far from optimal for this sort of thing, especially using SOF helicopters in a metropolitan area like this. The hits probably helped clear the anti-aircraft defenses for them, but that’s not clear at this point. The target may have dictated the timeline…
A video showing a helicopter firing missiles at a ground target is believed to have come from tonight’s operation, although we cannot confirm. This looks like an MH-60 Direct Action Penetrator or an MH-6 Little Bird missile strike race.
One shot appeared to have hit a port warehouse:
Update: 3:20 AM EST—
Venezuela’s government released a statement condemning the attacks and saying it was about confiscating the country’s oil and mineral resources.
With what appears to be a very large contingent of SOAR 160 helicopters leading this operation, it appears that the USS You have to People would be used to support them, especially since much of this ship’s air wing was moved ashore. M/V Special Operations Mothership Ocean Trader is also a critical part of this effort, having been in the region for months and sailing with You have to Peoplebut its ability to support many helicopters is much more limited than an ambitious assault ship.
We would imagine the USS Iwo Jima also acts as a special operations mothership for this. Much of its air wing was redeployed ashore. Of course, Ocean Trader is also in the mix.
Here’s another video showing what appears to be an MH-60 direct-action penetrator doing another run:
Footage of a US helicopter (possibly USMC AH-1Z Viper) attacking ground targets with guns and missiles in Caracas, Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/mT5h1lnFkl
Early reports said Fort Tiuna was a major objective 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 to this base regarding 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 protecting nearby roads:
A Venezuelan Army V-150 “Commando” armored wheel gun was spotted near the Miraflores Presidential Palace in the capital Caracas. pic.twitter.com/ToYWjTRlMn
Airfields were widely targeted, with some offering some major secondaries:
Apparently there have been some flight diversions to Puerto Rico:
Major diversions of civilian flights from San Juan in Puerto Rico as US forces likely use the island to stage strikes on Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/rBWwkbMYjC
It is also worth noting that all of this collapsed within hours of China’s envoy arriving in Caracas, in part to show support for the Maduro regime during the crisis with the United States. The diplomatic side may still be in the capital.
Just hours ago, Maduro held a three-hour meeting in Caracas with Xi’s special envoy to China, underscoring how Beijing is quietly deepening its role in the escalating US-Venezuela crisis. pic.twitter.com/LWEBygUtNg
The US has issued a shelter-in-place order for all Americans remaining in Venezuela:
Update: 4:31 am EST—
Trump released a statement saying the US had captured Maduro and his wife and taken them out of the country. This fits right in with our suspicion that this operation was peculiar in its timing, and how odd it was to push the 160th SOAR over Caracas so early in the operation during a nearly full moon. Now this 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 optimal for this sort of thing, especially using SOF helicopters deep in a metropolitan area like this. The strikes probably helped clear the air defenses for them, but that’s unclear at this point. The target may have dictated the timeline here. Use your imagination with that.”
The weather is interesting here. The moon is almost full, far from optimal for this sort of thing, especially using SOF helicopters in a metropolitan area like this. The hits probably helped clear the anti-aircraft defenses for them, but that’s not clear at this point. The target may have dictated the timeline…
