Early on Wednesday a speedboat carrying 10 Cuban exiles approached the island after apparently departing from Florida. The Cuban coastguard intercepted the vessel and an exchange of gunfire left four men on the boat dead and six others wounded, Cuban officials said.
Cuban authorities described the incident as an attempted “infiltration with terrorist aims,” saying the men were dressed in camouflage and armed with assault rifles, explosives and ballistic vests.
Marco Rubio said the United States would conduct an independent investigation, stressing the episode was not an official US operation and involved no government personnel. He described shootouts at sea as “highly unusual” and said the US was “prepared to respond accordingly” once the facts were established.
Rubio’s role
The confrontation comes amid rising friction between the US and Cuba, tensions that Rubio has helped intensify. A son of Cuban immigrants, he has spoken openly about wanting to see the Cuban regime changed and has pushed for a tougher, more interventionist US policy in the region. He has also advocated stronger measures against Venezuela’s leadership and broader pressure on governments aligned with Havana.
US pressure has had consequences for Cuba’s economy and public services. Prolonged power outages and fuel shortages are now common, forcing reduced school and work hours and disrupting public transport. The United Nations has warned of the risk of humanitarian collapse in parts of the country as shortages make it harder to refrigerate food, store medicines and run water systems. At the same time, the US has signalled selective loosening—Rubio announced limited permission for oil exports to Cuba’s private sector while warning that licences would be revoked if supplies were diverted to the government or military.
The US–Cuba confrontation
Washington has labelled Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security and in late January the president declared a national emergency, accusing Havana of offering support or safe havens to actors hostile to the United States. The declaration and other US statements allege growing cooperation between Cuba and foreign powers such as Russia and China, and have pointed to what US officials describe as intelligence and surveillance threats on the island.
US authorities have also accused Cuba of tolerating or hosting groups with links to international terrorism, allegations for which little public evidence has been presented. Cuba was placed on the US list of state sponsors of international terrorism, and US policymakers have framed the spread of Cuba’s revolutionary, leftist ideology as a strategic threat in the region.
A long history of confrontation
The present standoff is rooted in the revolution of 1959, when Fidel Castro overthrew the US‑backed dictator Fulgencio Batista and nationalized many US-owned assets. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 pushed Havana into a closer relationship with the Soviet Union, and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear conflict in 1962.
The United States responded with a comprehensive economic embargo that remains largely in place. Diplomatic ties have been frozen for decades, punctuated by a brief thaw under President Barack Obama and renewed tightening under Donald Trump, with sustained pressure under subsequent administrations.
Since Trump’s return to the presidency and Rubio’s growing influence over US Latin America policy, pressure on Cuba has intensified. After the recent maritime shooting Rubio said that “if the Cuban people are suffering, it is because the regime is standing in the way of help,” and insisted the US would only ease pressure if Havana guaranteed political and economic freedoms for its citizens.
The shooting at sea has amplified an already fraught moment: a volatile mix of clandestine operations, hardline policy, geopolitical rivalry and deep domestic suffering on the island. How the independent investigations proceed, and how Washington and Havana respond, will determine whether this incident becomes a contained tragedy or a new flashpoint in a long, dangerous confrontation.
This article has been translated from German.