Cuba warns US military action would cause 'bloodbath' after drone report

Cuba faces growing strain after the US cut energy supplies following Venezuela arrests

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Monday that any United States military action against the country would lead to a "bloodbath" with incalculable consequences for regional peace and ​stability.

"Cuba does not represent a threat," Diaz-Canel said in a post on X.

Las amenazas de agresión militar contra #Cuba de la mayor potencia del planeta son conocidas.

Ya la amenaza constituye un crimen internacional. De materializarse, provocará un baño de sangre de consecuencias incalculables, más el impacto destructivo para la paz y la estabilidad…

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 18, 2026

The comments ‌follow an Axios report published on Sunday, citing classified intelligence, that said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and had discussed plans to use them to attack the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels and Key ​West, Florida.

Cuba said the US was fabricating a case to justify potential military intervention.

On ​the streets of Havana, some residents said they would resist any attack despite the ⁠island's deep economic hardship.

"I know Cuba is a strong country. Cubans are very brave and they are not ​going to find us unprepared," said Sandra Roseaux, 57.

"If they come, they will have to fight, because ​Cuba will respond. My country, hungry or however it may be, will respond. It is better that they do not come because there will be a fight."

Cuba, a communist foe of Washington for generations, has come under increasing strain since ​the US cut off its energy supplies after arresting the president of its then-ally Venezuela in ​January. In recent weeks, fuel has run out and electricity has been available for only an hour or two ‌a day.

Read More: US weighs drone threat from Cuba: report

Tensions ⁠between the two countries have risen sharply in recent days. Reuters reported last week, citing a US Department of Justice source, that prosecutors planned to indict former Cuban leader Raul Castro over Cuba's 1996 shooting down of two planes operated by a humanitarian group.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a social media post that Cuba, "like ​every nation in the ​world", had the right ⁠to legitimate self-defence against external aggression under the UN Charter and international law.

Ulises Medina, 58, a Havana resident, urged negotiations.

"It would not be right for the ​United States to invade Cuba, nor for Cuba to invade the United States," ​he said. "They ⁠must reach an agreement and talk and negotiate. Cuba, in any case, will defend itself because the country will not be surrendered."

An indictment of Castro, 94 — the brother of late former leader Fidel Castro and a hero ⁠of ​the 1959 Cuban Revolution — would mark a major escalation in pressure ​on Cuba by the Trump administration.

"The Cuban people do not let anyone interfere with their land," said Jorge Villalobos, 87. "Cubans know ​how to defend themselves, even with sticks and stones."