Gunfire and explosions were reported near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Monday evening (5 January).
The incident came hours after Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military operation.
Local media said the incident occurred at about 20:00 local time after reports of unidentified drones circling the palace.
Some outlets suggested the gunfire may have been a response to the drones, although this has not been confirmed by Venezuelan authorities.
Videos shared on social media, believed to have been filmed near the scene, show armed men carrying heavy weapons and military convoys deployed around the Miraflores Palace.
The footage also appears to show security forces patrolling surrounding streets as residents sought shelter.
The videos have not been independently verified.
The United States is reportedly monitoring the situation closely but is not involved in the incident, according to U.S. officials cited by NBC News.
Venezuelan authorities have not issued an official statement on the incident, and there are no confirmed reports of injuries or fatalities. Residents described fear and confusion in central Caracas as gunfire and explosions were heard.
Power outages and armed movements were also reported in several districts, reflecting heightened tension across the capital.
In the days since President Nicolás Maduro was captured during a U.S. military operation on 3 January, his supporters have staged protests in Caracas demanding his release, according to Agence France-Presse.
Around 2,000 Maduro supporters demonstrated on Sunday, 4 January, in Venezuela’s capital, carrying signs and flags and calling for the U.S. to free their leader and his wife.
Featured slogans included “Free our president” and “Venezuela is no‑one’s colony.”
However, while the protests reported by AFP are confirmed, some social media videos claiming massive pro-Maduro rallies have been debunked.
Fact-checkers said widely shared clips presented as evidence of large-scale demonstrations were filmed before the military operation, including footage from July 2024 and November 2025.
By contrast, Venezuelans overseas have shown more visible reactions to Maduro’s capture.
In diaspora communities, particularly in cities such as Miami and Santiago, crowds were seen celebrating, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting calls for "liberty".
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at th...
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications...
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as...
Iran is preparing for a week-long farewell to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during Israeli-U.S. air r...
China’s anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into Bian Zhigang, a senior defence and space official, over suspected serious vi...
The United States has carried out a “swift and lethal” military strike that it says killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, a criminal network Washington has designated as a foreign terrorist organisation.
U.S. passenger air services to Venezuela resumed on Thursday (30 April), as an American Airlines flight landed in Caracas, restoring a commercial link between the two countries after seven years.
A United States Army soldier has been charged with making more than $400,000 by betting on the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to the Department of Justice.
Three months following the U.S. raid that captured socialist President Nicolas Maduro on 3 January, the Venezuelan National Assembly approved a new law on Thursday loosening the state’s grip on mining investments to open the sector for private and foreign companies.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal waters as they tried to escape the heatwave.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will “most likely” hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, where the American leader is expected to attend.
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at the recent G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains.
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected in Europe.
China’s anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into Bian Zhigang, a senior defence and space official, over suspected serious violations of discipline and law, officials said on Wednesday.
Alibaba, one of the world's largest technology and e-commerce companies, has sued the U.S. Pentagon after being added to a blacklist of firms it claims support China's military, escalating a dispute with potentially significant consequences for the company.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment