Cuban President Promises Defense After Deadly Speedboat Confrontation

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel pledged Thursday that his nation would protect itself following a deadly encounter with a Florida-registered speedboat. The incident occurred Wednesday when Cuban forces killed four Cuban exiles who allegedly opened fire on a patrol boat in Cuban waters.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared Thursday that his country would protect itself from what he called hostile attacks, following a deadly maritime confrontation that left four Cuban exiles dead.

According to Cuban officials, the fatal encounter occurred Wednesday when individuals aboard a speedboat registered in Florida entered Cuban territorial waters and began shooting at a government patrol vessel. Cuban authorities reported that four people on the speedboat were killed and six others sustained injuries.

Cuban officials identified those aboard the speedboat as anti-government Cuban exiles, with some allegedly having previous connections to planned attacks against the island nation.

“Cuba does not attack nor threaten,” Diaz-Canel posted on social media platform X. “We have stated this on repeated occasions and reaffirm it today: Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness.”

The maritime clash comes during a period of escalating tensions between Cuba and the United States. The U.S. has imposed restrictions on oil deliveries to Cuba as part of efforts to pressure the island’s Communist leadership, particularly following the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a key Cuban ally.

These fuel restrictions have severely impacted Cuba’s transportation systems and worsened ongoing electrical outages across the Caribbean’s largest island nation. Cuba’s power infrastructure depends heavily on imported petroleum, and Venezuela, which had served as Cuba’s primary oil source, has halted shipments since December.

The United Nations has issued warnings about a potential humanitarian emergency if Cuba’s energy requirements are not addressed.

Russia, which remains among Cuba’s few remaining petroleum suppliers despite not announcing future delivery schedules, responded Thursday by urging calm and characterizing the incident as an “aggressive provocation by the United States.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that American officials would conduct their own investigation into the maritime incident.

“We’re still gathering facts,” Rubio explained to members of the press. “We don’t generally make decisions in the United States on the basis of what Cuban authorities are saying.”