Venezuela Alleges US “Terrorist Attack” on Caracas, Calls for Calm and Unity

Venezuela's Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, on Saturday condemned what he termed as a "treacherous terrorist attack" by the US, inside Caracas by launching bombs and missiles at civilian infrastructure, and urged for nationwide calm and unity.

Speaking from the capital, Cabello said the strikes followed 28 weeks of threats from the administration of US President Donald Trump and were intended to sow fear and desperation among the population, but failed to achieve what they set out to do, noting that the country did not fall into disarray by succumbing to mass panic as was intended.

"The country is in complete calm," Cabello said. "What they tried to achieve with the bombs and missiles was only partial. They expected the people to react wildly and cowardly. That did not happen. The cowards belong to the past. The people know what to do."

Terming the assault a "terrorist attack" against Venezuelans, their national sovereignty, electrical installations and the Bolivarian Revolution, he further highlighted that the assault also affected those who had no political affiliations, or any relation to the revolutionary process.

Calling it an all-out indiscriminate attack against all of Venezuela, he pointed to the areas targeted, with reported bombings, and unexploded munitions falling on residential buildings and civilian zones.

Cabello said military and police forces, working alongside organised community groups, had been deployed nationwide to maintain order, with intensified patrols carried out across Caracas overnight.

He urged citizens to remain calm and place their trust in the country's political and military leadership, warning against actions that could benefit what he called an "invading and terrorist enemy".

"This is not the first battle our people have faced," he said, adding that Venezuelans had repeatedly endured adversity and emerged stronger.

Appealing to the international community to issue a strong response against Washington's "treacherous and vile attack", he warned that silence from global organisations in the face of alleged bombing of inhabited civilian areas was tantamount to complicity.

"It is a call only for reflection," he affirmed, alluding to the need for a global ethical stance.

Reiterating that the country remained calm despite the overnight strikes, Cabello said the attackers had grossly misjudged the public mood, who expected the masses to descend into all out panic, he praised the public resolve.

Cabello also lauded the performance of security personnel and volunteers for working through the night to secure the city in face of the "vile" terror strike, noting that it had been carried out while people slept.

Calling on political organisations to issue unified statements and remain in a state of "alertness", urging resolve and resilience amid this period of uncertainty.

"Let us not fall into their provocation. Let us not fall into hopelessness. Let us have all our faith placed, and at the end of this battle the Venezuelan people will emerge victorious. And at the end of these attacks, we will overcome," concluded Cabello.