Residents in Barquisimeto, Maracay, and Zulia, Venezuela, reported seeing a bright light resembling a rocket streaking across the skies during the 90-minute period from 5:45 AM to 7:15 AM UTC on December 31, according to X users @Ulul4r, @carlosofficial4, @whoismache, and @UKR_token who shared descriptions and videos in that window. X user @Ulul4r posted videos showing the light as observed from Barquisimeto and Maracay, describing it as looking like a rocket, while @fenalber stated research identified it as the Chang Zheng 7A rocket. The Philippine Space Agency confirmed a Long March 7A rocket launch from China at around 6:40 AM UTC on December 31, with debris projected to fall 45 to 76 nautical miles from locations in Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, Philippines, as reported by @ABSCBNNews. X user @trumpvsmusk claimed the sighting matched the trajectory of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched from Florida earlier on December 31 on a secret U.S. Space Force mission. @UKR_token summarized that various users reported the strange light over Venezuela's skies during the same period. These reports follow U.S.-Venezuela tensions, including President Donald Trump's declassification of a CIA attack on December 24 and recent U.S. B-1B bomber deployments to the Bahamas area, as noted in prior coverage from earlier on December 31.
