International

Cuba’s president warns of ‘bloodbath’ if US takes military action

Comments:

by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 2:08 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 2:08 PM ET

Comments:

Link copied

NOW PLAYING

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Monday warned of a “bloodbath” if the U.S. were to attack the island country, after Axios reported that Cuba has more than 300 military drones with discussed plans to use them to strike the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay or Key West, Fla.

Axios cited classified intelligence that showed Cuba’s drone buildup could attack these sites, along with U.S. military vessels. One unnamed senior U.S. official told the outlet that the buildup is a “growing threat.”

“The threats of military aggression against Cuba from the world’s greatest power are well-known,” Díaz-Canel wrote on the social platform X in a post translated from Spanish. “The threat itself already constitutes an international crime. If it were to materialize, it would trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, plus the destructive impact on regional peace and stability.”

The president said Cuba poses no threat to the U.S. “nor does it have aggressive plans or intentions against any country.” He said the U.S. government knows this “full well,” but noted that his country has the right to defend itself “against a military onslaught.”

“Yet that cannot be wielded, either logically or honestly, as an excuse for imposing war on the noble Cuban people,” Díaz-Canel’s post concludes.

The Trump administration has considered military action against Cuba, typically mentioning the island nation third after Venezuela and Iran, two countries against whom the U.S. has taken military actions this year.

On Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana to “personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,” his agency previously stated. He insisted to Cuban officials that the window for negotiations was diminishing.

Cuba’s Chargé d’Affaires to the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, told The Hill last week that Cuba will stick to its “red lines” and if a military attack comes, “we are preparing for this.”

Pressure on Cuba has ramped up after the U.S. set up a blockade preventing oil and gas from being sent to the island, which has had a devastating impact on the Cuban people, plunging them into darkness with little to no power. Cuba lost access to its regular oil supply following the U.S. military attack on Venezuela that led to the ousting of President Nicolàs Maduro.

The energy crisis has caused protests as the government implements rolling blackouts frequent enough that some last 22 hours a day. But on Friday, Cuban officials announced that their country has run out of oil and diesel, as its humanitarian crisis worsens.

Another possible intervention could be the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, according to three people familiar with the matter, The Associated Press reported. Castro, 94, is the brother of the late, longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The Department of Justice reportedly is seeking an indictment against Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of four planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based exile group. A grand jury would have to approve any criminal charges against Castro.

Add as preferred source on Google