News In Diaspora
United States Carries Out Airstrikes on Caracas, Venezuela’s Capital [VIDEO]
Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, shook Caracas around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) on Saturday.
The blasts follow US President Donald Trump’s deployment of a navy task force to the Caribbean and his warnings about possible ground strikes against Venezuela.
Explosions continued to be heard around 2:15 am, though the exact locations remained unclear.
On Monday, Trump stated that the United States had targeted and destroyed a docking area used by alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
He did not clarify whether the strike was carried out by the military or the CIA, or specify its exact location, noting only that it occurred “along the shore.” If verified, this would mark the first known ground strike on Venezuelan territory.
President Nicolás Maduro has neither confirmed nor denied Monday’s strike but indicated on Thursday that he remains open to cooperation with Washington, following weeks of US pressure.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel, though the Venezuelan leader denies any involvement in narcotics and claims the United States aims to overthrow him due to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves.
Pressure from Washington has intensified, with airspace restrictions, new sanctions, and tanker seizures among the measures targeting Venezuela.
Trump has repeatedly threatened ground strikes on regional drug cartels, and Monday’s attack appears to be the first example of action on these warnings.
Since September, US forces have also conducted numerous strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, targeting alleged drug trafficking operations.
The administration, however, has not provided proof of the boats’ involvement, raising questions about the legality of these operations.
According to US military reports, the campaign has killed at least 107 people across 30 strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his readiness for one-on-one talks with President Vladimir Putin to work out a permanent ceasefire to end the Ukraine war.
Zelensky reiterated the commitment on Wednesday at a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting.
“I’m ready for direct negotiations with Putin to end this war,” he said in Kyiv. “Rather than wait while everybody finishes all the conflicts in the world.”
Zelensky noted that ballistic missiles are Russia’s “last argument” in the war, confirming his country has been responding with the American-made Patriot systems.
The leader insists the recent strikes by Ukraine were justified, as they were carried out in response to the Russian attacks on its territory.
“If they continue using drones and missiles against us, we will be doing the same,” Zelensky vowed. “But we respond exclusively against oil refineries or justified military targets.”
The President, however, hinted that the greatest threat Ukraine currently faces is Russia’s capability to produce up to 120 ballistic missiles per month.
Rutte praised Ukraine for its resilience, saying the nation has become so successful that Putin was only able to organize the May 9 parade with an official presidential decree by Zelensky.
Iran has warned residents in northern Israel to leave their homes if Israel follows through on its threat to attack Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The warning was issued by Iran’s central military command and reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
According to the statement, the message was a response to an Israeli military evacuation order issued for Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut.
The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said residents in northern Israel should evacuate in the event of an Israeli strike on the area, signalling a further escalation in tensions between the two sides.
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