At least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas around 2:00 a.m. local time, the Associated Press reported. Footage released from Caracas showed CH-47 helicopters operated by the US military.
According to CNN, the first explosion occurred at 1:50 a.m. local time. The channel reports that some areas of the city were left without electricity. Power was lost in the southern part of the city, near a large military base.
“The impact was so strong that my window shook after it,“ CNN correspondent Osmari Hernandez reported.
US President Donald Trump had previously suggested a ground operation in Venezuela amid efforts to force President Nicolas Maduro to step down and multiple strikes on ships off the country's coast that US authorities say are transporting drugs.
Venezuelan news outlets Efecto Cocuyo and Tal Cual Digital reported that explosions were also heard in the state of La Guaira north of Caracas and along the country's coast, as well as in Higuerote, a coastal town in Miranda state.