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 represent a threat,” Diaz-Canel said in a post on X.

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The comments ‌follow an Axios report published on Sunday, citing classified intelligence, that said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and had discussed plans to use them to attack the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels and Key ​West, Florida. Cuba said the U.S. 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 hardship.

“I know Cuba is a strong country. Cubans are very brave and they are not ​going to find us unprepared,” said Sandra Roseaux, 57. “If they come, they will have to fight, because ​Cuba will respond. My country, hungry or however it may be, will respond. It is better that they do not come because there will be a fight.”

Cuba, a communist foe of Washington for generations, has come under increasing strain since ​the United States 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 an hour or two ‌a day.

Tensions ⁠between the two countries have risen sharply in recent days. Reuters reported last week, citing a U.S. Department of Justice source, that prosecutors planned to indict former Cuban leader Raul Castro over Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by a humanitarian group.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a social media post that Cuba, “like ​every nation in the ​world,” has the right ⁠to legitimate self-defense against external aggression under the U.N. Charter and international law.

Ulises Medina, 58, a Havana resident, urged negotiations. “It would not be right for the ​United States to invade Cuba, nor for Cuba to invade the United States,” ​he said. “They ⁠must reach an agreement and talk and negotiate. Cuba, in any case, will defend itself because the country will not be surrendered.”

An indictment of Castro, 94 - the brother of late former leader Fidel Castro and a hero ⁠of ​the 1959 Cuban Revolution - would mark a major escalation in pressure ​on Cuba by the Trump administration.

“The Cuban people do not let anyone interfere with their land,” said Jorge Villalobos, 87. “Cubans know ​how to defend themselves, even with sticks and stones.”

Reporting by Kylie Madry Editing by Peter Graff and Rosalba O’Brien

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