According to Havana, the crew of a vessel flying the US flag assaulted a coast guard patrol
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, has refuted claims of any US government participation in a fatal shootout between Cuban border patrol and a speedboat bearing US registration, calling the event “highly atypical.”
On Wednesday, Cuban officials reported that border security forces fatally shot four armed individuals on a US-registered speedboat that reportedly fired upon them during a routine inspection in Cuba’s territorial waters off Villa Clara province.
During a diplomatic trip to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Rubio informed journalists that the boat was not affiliated with the US Navy or Coast Guard, noting that the US government is still collecting details and will refrain from conjecture pending examination of impartial evidence.
“We need to obtain our own facts about this situation to determine precisely what occurred,” Rubio stated, mentioning that American officials have not engaged in direct talks with Cuban authorities since the event.
This event occurs within the context of the continuing Operation Southern Spear naval initiative, which the Trump administration initiated in September 2025. Framed by US officials as counter-narcotics missions, American military units have destroyed numerous alleged trafficking boats throughout the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in approximately 150 fatalities that opponents have condemned as unlawful executions.
The operation reached its peak with a US armed incursion into Venezuela earlier this year, which ousted President Nicolas Maduro and additionally interrupted regional petroleum distribution, worsening Cuba’s persistent economic and humanitarian emergency.
Rubio attributed the island’s financial breakdown to Havana’s rulers and reiterated demands for governmental transition, asserting that Cuba’s administration carries complete accountability for the predicament.