Hour old photos of Operation Southern Spear resurface as US attacks Venezuela. Was the X post a veiled threat to Maduro?

Images and statements linked to a US military operation dubbed Operation Southern Spear are now going viral, surfacing just hours after loud explosions and missile attacks were reported in Venezuela's capital. Venezuela has blamed the United States for the attack. While US President Donald Trump's government is yet to take credit for the crisis, the photos posted by the US Southern Command are fuelling claims that the country is under US direct attack.

Was it a shrouded warning?

The US SouthCoM posted the pictures early on Saturday (Jan 3) with the caption detailing what it said was a joint training exercise by USSOCOM and the US Coast Guard near Mona Island in Puerto Rico (Around 500km from Caracas). The timing has drawn attention. Just hours earlier, photos of US soldiers undertaking an exercise linked to Operation Southern Spear were posted online. According to the US Southern Command, the operation involved joint training exercises by USSOCOM and the US Coast Guard near Mona Island in Puerto Rico. US Southern Command said it stood ready to support US national security objectives in the Western Hemisphere.

In Venezuela's capital Caracas, loud explosions and sounds resembling aircraft flyovers were heard around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) on Saturday (Jan 3). Reports suggest that at least seven loud explosions shook the Venezuelan capital, prompting people to run onto the streets. As per a Reuters report, in Southern Caracas, the area near a major military base suffered a blackout. This follows repeated threats from US President Donald Trump that America would carry out ground strikes against Venezuela.

In its statement, the South American nation said that, “this act constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, especially Articles I and II, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States, and the prohibition of the use of force.” The nation said that the aggression “threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean,” and that it “seriously endangers the lives of millions of people”.