In a high-voltage addition to the bilateral crisis between Havana and Washington, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubioaffirmed that his Government will respond “consequently” to the armed incident that occurred this Wednesday in Cuban waters.
The incident, which occurred north of Villa Clara, involved Cuban border guard troops and a speedboat from Florida. It left four dead and several injured after an exchange of gunfire, according to Cuban authorities.
Rubio, who was participating in a Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit in St. Kitts and Nevis, said that Donald Trump’s administration will not speculate about what happened and will seek “independently” verified information.
“I’m not going to speculate or give an opinion; I want to know what happened. We are going to find out exactly what happened and we will respond accordingly,” he declared to the press.
“We will independently verify and, as we gather more information, we will be prepared to respond accordingly,” he said, quoted by the agency EFE.
Washington’s reaction marks a new chapter in the already tense bilateral relationship, amidst cross recriminations and calls from the US for investigations outside the Cuban Government.
The Cuban version
The Cuban Ministry of the Interior reported that the incident occurred on Wednesday morning, when a speedboat with Florida registration plates — folio FL7726SH — was detected within Cuban territorial waters.
According to the official statement, the boat did not obey the order to stop and opened fire on the Cuban patrol boat, which triggered an exchange of fire northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.
Four crew members of the boat died and six others were injured. The commander of the Cuban ship, who was patrolling with four other troops, was also wounded. The Minint assured that the action was necessary to protect national sovereignty and the security of its forces.
In an update on what happenedHours later, the island’s authorities stated that the boat’s crew had “intentions to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes” and that weapons, explosive devices, bulletproof vests and other military means were seized.
They also identified the six injured and one of the deceased who were traveling on the boat, whom they said are “Cubans residing in the United States.” And they reported on the arrest of another person, who had previously traveled from US territory “to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration.”
Claims from Florida
The news generated immediate reaction in the United States, especially in Florida, where the largest Cuban community and the so-called historical exile reside.
State Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the opening of an investigation and promised that “communists will be held accountable.” In a message on social networks, quoted by local pressassured that his office will work with federal and state partners to clarify what happened and hold the Cuban government responsible.
For his part, Cuban-American congressman Carlos Giménez, one of the staunchest opponents of the Cuban Government in American politics, described the event as a “massacre” and demanded an immediate investigation.
“United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims are US citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred. The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against the community,” he said in a statement.
Legislator María Elvira Salazar, also of Cuban origin, stated that she is still waiting for official information from the US authorities before ruling on the case.
The White House monitors the situation
US Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the White House is closely monitoring the incident.
“Marco told me about it about 15 minutes ago, but we don’t know many details. It is a situation that we are monitoring,” he declared in a press appearance.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Havana requested consular access to the survivors of the boat, presumably US citizens, to verify their situation.
Rubio insisted that Washington wants to corroborate the facts with “independent information” and ruled out that US government personnel had participated in the shooting.
Vessel identity and background
According to him The New York Timesthe boat attacked did not belong to the Coast Guard or the United States Navy. It would be a Pro-Line motorboat about seven meters long, built in 1981 and usually used as a fishing boat, with capacity for about ten crew members.
The detail reinforces the uncertainty about the motivations of the occupiers and whether they were an independent armed group, smugglers or actors linked to political organizations.
Some sources from Florida They point out, citing relatives and acquaintances of the boat crew, that the men’s objective was to fight against the Cuban authorities and for “the freedom of Cuba,” and they had been preparing for several months for that purpose.
The confrontation is reminiscent of other episodes that have occurred since the 1960s, in which boats from the United States machine-gunned coastal towns or confronted Cuban vessels and troops, in incidents that more than once left fatalities.
As a result of this event, other events with civilian victims have also been evoked on the networks, such as the downing of the small planes of the organization Brothers to the Rescue, or the sinking of boats such as the tugboat March 13, about which Havana and its opponents maintain diametrically opposite versions regarding what happened and their responsibility.
Tension scenario
This Wednesday’s violent episode occurs at a time of high bilateral tension.
The United States Government has imposed an oil siege on the island, following a sustained policy of economic drowning, after cutting off the supply of Venezuelan crude oil after the January 3 attack and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
The measure has aggravated the energy crisis in Cuba and has intensified Havana’s accusations against Washington for “suffocating” life on the island, where the damage ranges from adjustments in work and teaching activities and a drastic decrease in transportation, to the suspension of surgical operations and the impossibility of delivering identity cards.
Likewise, the Caricom summit, where Rubio made his statements, reflects the regional importance of the issue. In this context, several Caribbean countries—as well as other regional actors, such as Mexico—have called for moderation and dialogue, aware that an increase in confrontation could affect maritime security, emigration and trade in the area.
