Cuba warns US of ‘bloodbath’ if military action follows drone claims

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that any US military action against Cuba would lead to a “bloodbath” with incalculable consequences for regional peace and stability.

“Cuba does not represent a threat,” Díaz-Canel said in a post on X.

The warning followed an Axios report Sunday citing classified intelligence that Cuba had acquired over 300 military drones and discussed plans to use them to attack the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels, and Key West, Florida.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, in a separate post, said Cuba, “like every nation in the world,” has the right to legitimate self-defense against external aggression under the UN charter and international law. He added that those seeking to attack Cuba use false pretexts to justify it.

Cuba, a communist adversary of Washington for generations, has faced increased strain since the US cut off its energy supplies after arresting the president of its then-ally Venezuela in January. In recent weeks, fuel has run out and electricity is often available for only one or two hours daily.

Tensions between the two countries have risen sharply in recent days. On Friday, reports emerged that US prosecutors plan to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

Such an indictment of Castro, 94, would mark a major escalation in pressure on Cuba by the Trump administration, which has described the island’s government as corrupt and incompetent as it pushes for change.