Caracas
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A CNN team witnessed several explosions early Saturday in Caracas, and reported that some areas of the city were without electricity.
The first blast was recorded at approximately 1.50am local time (0.50aET).
“One was so strong, my window was shaking after it,” CNNE correspondent Osmary Hernandez said.
Several areas of the city were without power and CNN journalists in the Venezuelan capital could hear sound of aircraft after the explosions.
The cause of the explosions was unclear.
One video obtained and verified by CNN showed two plumes of smoke rising into the night sky amid city lights. An orange glow can be seen at the base of one of the plumes. Then a flash in another location is briefly seen, followed by a dull booming sound.
Venezuelan news outlets Efecto Cocuyo and Tal Cual Digital reported explosions were also heard in La Guaira state north of Caracas and on the country’s coast, and at Higuerote a city on the coast in Miranda state.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that the US is preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela and that strikes on land will start “soon.”
In October, Trump said that he authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to clamp down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs from the South American nation.
CNN has reached out to the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Alejandra Jaramillo and Isaac Yee contributed to this report