Cuba warns US military action would cause ‘bloodbath’ after drone report
HAVANA, May 18 (Reuters) – Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Monday that any U.S. military action against Cuba would lead to a “bloodbath” with incalculable consequences for regional peace and stability.
“Cuba does not pose a threat,” Diaz-Canel said in a post on X.
The comments followed an Axios report published Sunday, citing classified intelligence, that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and was discussing plans to use them to attack the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military ships and Key West, Florida. Cuba said the United States was fabricating a case to justify potential military intervention.
On the streets of Havana, some residents said they would resist any attack despite the island’s deep economic distress.
“I know Cuba is a strong country. Cubans are very brave and they will not find us unprepared,” said Sandra Roseaux, 57. “If they come, they will have to fight because Cuba will fight back. My country will fight back whether it is hungry or not. It is better if they don’t come because there will be fighting.”
Cuba, a communist foe of Washington for generations, has come under increasing pressure since the United States cut off its energy supplies after arresting the president of then-ally Venezuela in January. Fuel has run out in recent weeks and electricity is often only available for an hour or two a day.
Tension between the two countries has increased rapidly in recent days. Reuters reported last week, citing a source at the U.S. Justice Department, that prosecutors planned to indict former Cuban leader Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by a Cuban humanitarian group.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a social media post that Cuba “like every nation in the world” has the right to legitimize self-defense against external aggression under the UN Charter and international law.
Ulises Medina, 58, who lives in Havana, called for negotiations. “It would not be right for the USA to invade Cuba or for Cuba to invade the USA,” he said. “They must reach an agreement, talk and negotiate. Cuba will defend itself anyway because the country will not surrender.”
An indictment against the 94-year-old Castro, brother of former leader Fidel Castro and a hero of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, would mark a major increase in the Trump administration’s pressure on Cuba.
“The Cuban people do not allow anyone to interfere with their land,” said 87-year-old Jorge Villalobos. “Cubans know how to defend themselves even with stones and sticks.”
(Reporting by Kylie Madry, Editing by Peter Graff and Rosalba O’Brien)
