Colombia's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday that Colombia has activated its public security forces to anticipate and neutralize any attempted terrorist attack by illegal armed groups operating on the border with Venezuela after the United States carried out an air strike against Venezuela.
Following instructions of President Gustavo Petro, the defense minister said the Unified Command Post (PMU) for humanitarian assistance as well as an action plan was activated in northeastern Colombia's border city of Cucuta in order to assist the migrant population and provide all necessary support to those who require it.
The PMU is a cross-departmental collaboration mechanism in Colombia, typically used to respond to major security issues, disasters, or emergencies, including those related to law enforcement, immigration, and natural disasters.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in social media posts on Saturday that Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, was being bombed by missiles. He called on the Organization of American States and the United Nations to hold emergency meetings to discuss the act of aggression against Venezuela. He emphasized that Colombia officially became a member of the UN Security Council on January 2.
Colombia also announced on Saturday the temporary closure of its land borders with Venezuela due to the rising tensions.
Earlier on Saturday, explosions were heard in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, followed by air raid sirens.
Witnesses said multiple explosions took place near military facilities in southern Caracas, and power outages were reported in several areas.
There were also reports of helicopters hovering over Caracas and telecommunications services being disrupted in some areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday in a Truth Social post that the United States launched "a large scale strike against Venezuela," saying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country.
Over the past months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier, and about 15,000 troops, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.
Colombia tightens security along border with Venezuela
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
