On Wednesday, U.S. federal prosecutors accused former Cuban President Raúl Castro of ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft belonging to Miami-based exiles. As noted by the AP, this marks a significant step in the Trump administration's efforts to topple seven decades of one-party rule on the Caribbean island, UNN reports.
Details
The publication notes that Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister when the planes belonging to a Miami exile group were shot down, resulting in the deaths of four people.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up talk of regime change in Cuba after promising earlier this year to carry out a "friendly takeover" of the country if its leadership does not open the economy to U.S. investment and expel U.S. adversaries.
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Bilateral relations between the U.S. and Cuba are at one of their lowest levels in decades, with renewed pressure from Donald Trump and a worsening energy crisis on the communist island.
Last week, Cuba's energy minister stated that a last-minute supply of Russian oil had been exhausted and that Cubans would have to endure even more power outages.
According to Axios, Cuba has purchased 300 attack drones that it could direct at United States bases. Russia and Iran may be among the exporters of drones to Cuba.
In response, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the U.S. of creating a "fraudulent case" to justify new sanctions and potential military pressure on Havana.