According to a leaked intelligence report published by Axios, Cuba has purchased more than 300 attack drones from Russia and Iran. The military leadership there is reportedly already discussing their deployment against the US base of Guantánamo or the Florida city of Key West in the event of war.
Cuba has purchased more than 300 military drones, and its military leadership is discussing how to use them in a possible attack on the US base at Guantánamo or on the US island city of Key West, which is only less than 150 kilometers north of Havana. This was reported by the Axios portal on Sunday, which refers to the administration of intelligence services. According to this server, the obtained intelligence can serve as a pretext for American military action against Cuba.
- Cuba has purchased more than 300 military drones from attack categories.
- The Cuban command is considering the use of drones against Guantánamo or Key West.
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned Cuba against conducting combat operations.
- The US does not see Cuba as an immediate threat, but is following war considerations.
The threat of military drones
The document shows the extent to which the administration of US President Donald Trump views Cuba as a threat, given developments in the military use of drones and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana, a senior US official said.
“When you consider that such technologies are almost at our fingertips, and when you consider the whole range of actors – from terrorist groups to drug cartels to the Iranians and Russians – it’s worrying,” the unnamed source said.
According to US officials, Cuba will purchase attack drones of “various uses” from Russia and Iran starting in 2023 and place them at strategic locations across the island. At the same time, in April, Havana turned to Russia with a request for additional drones and military equipment.
A visit by the director of the CIA
Axios reported on the drones in Cuba shortly after the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe visited the island on Thursday, who, according to the portal’s source, warned local officials against carrying out combat operations. At the same time, he called on them to dissolve their totalitarian regime and thus achieve the lifting of sanctions by the USA. According to him, enemies of the US cannot operate in the Western Hemisphere.
However, the US does not consider Cuba an immediate threat or a country that would actively plan an attack on US interests. But U.S. intelligence suggests that Cuban military officers are discussing plans to wage a war using drones in case combat operations break out as relations with the U.S. continue to deteriorate.
