Cuba defends right to self-defense amid report of alleged drone acquisitions

Cuba’s embassy in the United States said Sunday that the country has the right to defend itself against foreign aggression following a media report citing unverified US intelligence allegations that Havana had acquired military drones.

“Like any country, Cuba has the right to defend itself against external aggression,” the embassy said in a statement posted on the US social media platform X.

“It is called self-defense, and it is protected by International Law and the UN Charter,” the statement said.

The embassy also accused critics in the US of distorting reasonable defensive preparations by Cuba.

“Those from the US who seek the submission and, in fact, the destruction of the Cuban nation through military aggression and war do not waste a single moment fabricating pretexts, creating and spreading falsehoods, and distorting as extraordinary the logical preparation required to face a potential aggression,” the statement added.

While the statement of that embassy did not identify a specific cause for its statement, Cuba’s mission in the UK mentioned in a separate post the Axios report alleging that Havana had acquired more than 300 military drones and discussed possible plans involving American targets.

“Axios fabricates a ‘drone threat,’ only to confess paragraphs later: ‘US officials don't believe Cuba is actively planning to attack,’” the embassy said in a post on X.

“This contradictory disinformation is a transparent, ludicrous pretext to justify US hostility. We categorically reject these baseless smears,” it added.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also weighed in on the issue in a separate post on X, accusing Washington of building a “fraudulent case” to justify economic pressure and possible aggression against Cuba.

“Without any legitimate excuse, the US government builds, day after day, a fraudulent case to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and eventual military aggression,” Rodriguez wrote.

He also accused certain media outlets of promoting “slander” and amplifying insinuations from the US government. “Cuba neither threatens nor desires war,” he added.

“It defends peace and prepares itself to confront external aggression in exercising the legitimate right to self-defense recognized by the UN Charter.”

Earlier Sunday, the US-based news website Axios reported, citing unverified classified US intelligence assessments, that Cuba had allegedly obtained hundreds of military drones and explored scenarios involving their potential use against US targets.

According to the report, US intelligence officials believe the potential targets discussed included the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida.

US officials do not believe Cuba is preparing an imminent attack but claimed the allegations have increased concern within the administration of US President Donald Trump over Havana’s military ties with Russia and Iran, as well as the growing use of drone warfare, the report said.