Cuba claims right to defend itself as US issues threats

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated that the country does not seek confrontation but warned that any U.S. military action would lead to a “bloodbath.”

The president said in a social media post on Monday that Cuba is not a threat and does not have “aggressive intentions” against any country, but has the “absolute legitimate right” to defend itself if the US follows through on mounting military threats, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

“The threats of military aggression against Cuba from the world’s greatest power are well-known,” Diaz-Canel said, in reference to the US. “The threat itself already constitutes an international crime. If it were to materialise, it would trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, plus the destructive impact on regional peace and stability.”

The remarks from the Cuban president come one day after a report in the news outlet Axios, citing classified information shared with it, claiming that Cuba has amassed more than 300 drones and could launch an attack on US military forces or the US state of Florida.

The report, met with strong scepticism, comes amid months of threats from the administration of US President Donald Trump that suggest the US could topple the Cuban government through military force and an energy blockade that has squeezed the country’s already fragile economy and triggered nationwide blackouts.

The energy blockade has heaped further strain on the island’s population, which has long struggled with political repression from the Cuban government and economic restrictions imposed by the US.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli