The US used a powerful, unidentified weapon during an operation in Venezuela that left Venezuelan soldiers incapacitated with severe physical symptoms, including nosebleeds and vomiting blood, according to an eyewitness account shared on the social network X on Saturday by White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt.
In an interview cited in the publication, a member of the guard described how a small US unit decisively defeated a significantly larger Venezuelan force during an operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro. He said there were no casualties among the American forces.
The witness said the operation began with the sudden shutdown of all radar systems, followed by multiple drones flying over the positions. A short while later, "about eight" helicopters appeared in the area, which he estimated were carrying approximately 20 American soldiers.
"They were very technologically advanced. They were unlike anything we had fought before," he said. According to his account, the ensuing clash was short and one-sided, with the American soldiers firing with extreme precision and speed.
The key moment, according to the witness, was the use of a weapon he described as an "intense sonic boom". After the impact, many of the Venezuelan fighters fell to the ground, unable to move, showing symptoms of bleeding and severe pain.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether sharing the post meant the administration was confirming the veracity of the story. Venezuela’s Interior Ministry said about 100 security forces were killed in the attack on January 3, without specifying the cause of death.
A former U.S. intelligence source told the NYPost that the military has had directed-energy weapons, which use microwaves or lasers to neutralize targets, for years, and that they can cause symptoms such as bleeding, pain and temporary immobility. China, he said, used a similar microwave weapon against Indian soldiers in 2020 in the Ladakh region.
The eyewitness, described as a Maduro loyalist, said the incident had already caused a strong resonance in Latin America and served as a warning to other countries in the region. He added that he believed the events would have consequences not only for Venezuela but also for the broader regional balance.