Newsletters
The U.S. intelligence community is analyzing possible Cuban responses to an American military attack and has begun developing military options for U.S. President Donald Trump, CBS News reported, citing two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Analysts at the Pentagon and the Defense Intelligence Agency began the assessment earlier this month while tracking the Universal, a sanctioned Russian-flagged oil tanker bound for Cuba.
Such intelligence assessments are designed to evaluate not only the immediate consequences of military action but also the broader chain of political and military responses that could follow.
Asked on Wednesday whether further escalation with Cuba was likely following the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, Trump said: "No, there won't be escalation. I don't think there needs to be."
The U.S. military announced Wednesday that the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group had arrived in the Caribbean.
"The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage," U.S. Southern Command said in a statement.
The deployment came the same day federal prosecutors in Florida unsealed an indictment charging Raúl Castro, 94, and five others in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft belonging to Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, which killed four people, including three Americans.
Trump has repeatedly said Cuba is "next" following the military operation against Iran and has claimed the communist-run island would fall "soon."
CBS News confirmed that Cuba has acquired attack drones, though it remains unclear who provided them or how they were obtained. Axios reported Sunday that Cuba possessed more than 300 military drones and had discussed plans to use them against the U.S. naval installation at Guantanamo Bay if hostilities erupted.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denied Havana poses any military threat to the U.S. but warned that a U.S. assault would cause "a bloodbath with incalculable consequences." He said earlier this week that Cuba had "the absolute and legitimate right" to defend itself against any military assault.
Meanwhile, the Universal, the Russian-flagged tanker, has been sailing in circles in the Atlantic Ocean for weeks, more than 1,000 miles from Cuba.
Multiple ships bound for Cuba have altered course in recent weeks amid concerns they could be intercepted by U.S. naval forces.
The military planning runs parallel to an active diplomatic track. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba last week and met with Cuban intelligence officials and Raúl Guillermo "Raulito" Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro.
A CIA official said Ratcliffe told Cuban officials the Trump administration was offering "a genuine opportunity for collaboration" and a chance to stabilize Cuba's struggling economy, while warning the offer was contingent on Cuba severing ties with U.S. adversaries Russia, China and Iran. Ratcliffe also indicated the offer would not remain open indefinitely, CBS News reported.
Ratcliffe's visit followed a series of secret meetings between Cuban officials and senior State Department officials.
In April, a U.S. delegation traveled to Havana and floated the possibility of offering Cuba access to Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated a U.S. offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid to be distributed through faith-based charities.
A senior State Department official said the U.S. charge d'affaires in Cuba, Michael Hammer, had recently delivered the terms of the proposal, which includes food, medical supplies, solar lamps and other basic goods, to Cuban foreign ministry officials.
Rubio released a Spanish-language video Wednesday directed at the Cuban people, blaming the island's government for widespread fuel and food shortages and singling out GAESA, the military-run business conglomerate that controls most of Cuba's economy, as the main obstacle to U.S. cooperation.
The U.S. sanctioned GAESA earlier this month and unveiled a further package of sanctions on Cuban military and intelligence agencies and officials on Monday.
The Trump administration has also expanded sanctions, targeted Cuban military and intelligence officials, and increased efforts to restrict Cuba's access to fuel and shipping networks throughout this year.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
