Venezuela Forces Fire on Drones Near Caracas Palace

Security forces in Venezuela opened fire on unidentified drones near the presidential palace in Caracas late Monday, sparking brief gunfire that heightened tensions in the capital just days after the U.S. military captured former President Nicolas Maduro.

The incident unfolded around 8 p.m. local time near the Miraflores Palace in central Caracas, witnesses reported. Bursts of antiaircraft and small arms fire lit up the night sky, with social media videos capturing tracer bullets streaking upward and security personnel rushing to the site. A resident living five blocks from the palace, speaking on condition of anonymity, described seeing two red lights in the sky and initially wondering if planes were overhead. "Everyone was looking out their windows to see if there was a plane, to see what was happening," the resident told reporters. The exchange lasted about a minute, far less intense than the predawn raid the previous Saturday that led to Maduro's ouster.

A source close to the Venezuelan government attributed the gunfire to security forces responding to the unauthorized drones flying over the palace complex. The situation was quickly brought under control, the source said,...