Earlier Monday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that his country has the “absolute and legitimate right” to defend itself against US military actions, warning that any attack on the island would result in a “bloodbath with incalculable consequences.”
He said Cuba “poses no threat, nor does it have any aggressive plans or intentions against any country,” including the US.
“Cuba, which already endures a multidimensional aggression from the US, does have the absolute and legitimate 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.”
The remarks came hours after the US-based news outlet Axios, citing unverified classified US intelligence assessments, reported that Cuba had allegedly acquired more than 300 military drones and discussed possible plans to use them against American targets, including the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida.
Cuba is facing a severe humanitarian and energy crisis, exacerbated by the US oil blockade.
The Cuban government has accused Washington of trying to create a pretext for a military intervention against its arch foe after first trying to “strangle” Cuba’s economy with a crippling fuel blockade.
