{"id":26082,"date":"2026-02-26T03:01:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stingfm.com\/news\/us-denies-involvement-in-gunfight-off-cuban-coast\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T03:01:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:01:05","slug":"us-denies-involvement-in-gunfight-off-cuban-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stingfm.com\/news\/us-denies-involvement-in-gunfight-off-cuban-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"US denies involvement in gunfight off Cuban coast"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Havana has said the crew of an American-flagged vessel attacked a coast guard patrol<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong> US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied any American government involvement in a deadly gunfight between Cuban border guards and a US-flagged speedboat, describing the incident as \u201cvery unusual.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Cuban authorities announced on Wednesday that border guard forces had killed four armed men aboard a US-flagged speedboat that allegedly opened fire during an identification check in the island\u2019s territorial waters near Villa Clara province.<\/p>\n

The vessel did not belong to either the US Navy or the US Coast Guard, Rubio told reporters during a diplomatic visit to Saint Kitts and Nevis, adding that\u00a0Washington was still gathering information and would avoid speculation until after reviewing independent data.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s have our own information on this, and we will find out exactly what happened,\u201d<\/em> Rubio said, adding that US officials had not held direct discussions with Havana following the incident.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
Cuban border guards kill four gunmen on US-flagged speedboat<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t something that happens every day\u2026 it\u2019s very unusual to see gunfire,\u201d<\/em> Rubio\u00a0added.<\/p>\n

Under American law, unauthorized entry by US-flagged vessels into Cuban territorial waters is prohibited without federal authorization.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump extended a Clinton-era national emergency measure, arguing that such voyages could undermine American foreign policy and potentially \u201cfacilitate a mass migration from Cuba.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite Rubio\u2019s description of the shooting as exceptional, similar armed confrontations have occurred in recent years. Cuban authorities reported multiple exchanges of gunfire involving US-registered boats in 2022 linked to migrant-smuggling operations.<\/p>\n

In one case, the US Coast Guard even helped intercept a fleeing vessel and later returned one suspected shooter to Cuba, according to the New York Times.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
Russia weighing fuel aid for crisis-hit Cuba<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The incident comes amid the ongoing Operation Southern Spear maritime campaign launched by the Trump administration in September 2025. Under what US officials have described as anti-drug operations, American forces have\u00a0blown-up dozens of suspected smuggling vessels across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, eliminating at least 150 people in\u00a0what critics have characterized as extrajudicial killings.<\/p>\n

The campaign culminated in a US military raid on Caracas earlier this year that removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power and further disrupted regional fuel supplies, exacerbating Cuba\u2019s ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n

Rubio blamed Havana\u2019s leadership on Wednesday for the island\u2019s economic collapse and renewed calls for regime change, arguing that Cuba\u2019s government bears full responsibility for the crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Havana has said the crew of an American-flagged vessel attacked a coast guard patrol US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied any American government involvement in a deadly gunfight between Cuban border guards and a US-flagged speedboat, describing the incident as \u201cvery unusual.\u201d Cuban authorities announced on Wednesday that border guard forces had killed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[483],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rt-news"],"yoast_head":"\nUS denies involvement in gunfight off Cuban coast - Sting FM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US denies involvement in gunfight off Cuban coast - 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