- U.S. strikes destroyed Venezuelan military command and communications centers in Caracas and nearby hills, leaving defense forces unable to organize a coordinated response, according to local reports.
- President Nicolás Maduro declared a state of emergency and ordered mobilization as security forces restricted civilian movement and guarded government buildings.
The United States carried out precision strikes on military command and control facilities in Caracas and surrounding hills on Friday, disrupting Venezuela’s ability to coordinate its air and ground defenses, according to local reports.
The strikes targeted core command, control, and communications nodes of Venezuela’s armed forces in the capital and nearby elevated areas. Multiple sources reported that the facilities were hit with bunker-penetrating munitions, resulting in the destruction of key headquarters and communications infrastructure used to direct air defense and internal security operations.
The country’s military has so far been unable to organize a coordinated defensive response following the attacks. The loss of centralized command facilities has led to disorganization among air defense and ground units, with no unified response reported in the hours after the strikes.
The operation also involved the use of unmanned systems. Local monitoring groups reported the employment of armed drones and one-way attack drones during the strikes, describing it as the first large-scale use of kamikaze-style drones by U.S. forces in combat operations.
Venezuelan security forces were reported to be attempting to restrict civilian movement in parts of Caracas while deploying additional units to guard administrative and government buildings. These measures were described as efforts to stabilize the internal security situation following the loss of military command infrastructure.
President Nicolás Maduro announced a state of emergency later in the day and called for nationwide mobilization. In a public statement, he said Venezuela must mobilize to “repel this imperialist aggression,” using that phrase verbatim in his address.
The command centers targeted in the strikes are responsible for coordinating Venezuela’s air defense network, internal troop movements, and communications between military districts. Facilities located in and around Caracas serve as the central hub for directing both peacetime security operations and wartime defense of the capital.
Bunker-penetrating munitions are designed to destroy hardened or underground facilities by penetrating reinforced structures before detonating. The reported use of such weapons suggests the targets were protected command posts rather than surface-level installations. No casualty figures or detailed damage assessments were released by Venezuelan authorities.
The strikes follow earlier attacks on Venezuelan air defense systems, airfields, and military assets in and around the capital, indicating a sustained focus on degrading the country’s ability to defend its airspace and coordinate military responses from central command.