On Wednesday, the Cuban military fired on a US-registered boat that entered Cuban waters, killing 4 passengers and injuring 6 others.
The Cuban government claimed the passengers on the Florida-registered boat opened fire on the Cuban soldiers first and injured a Cuban officer.
It was initially unclear if any Americans were aboard the vessel.
It appears the US vessel was carrying Cubans who lived in the US.
Per the Cuban Embassy in US:
On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.
When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel.
As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured. The injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance.
In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.
The New York Times reported the US vessel was part of a flotilla to ‘get relatives out of Cuba.’
“A U.S. official said the firefight involved a U.S. civilian boat that was part of flotilla to get relatives out of Cuba, adding that the vessel was not U.S. Naval or Coast Guard boat,” The New York Times reported.
Later Wednesday, Cuba said the 10 passengers were Cubans living in the US.
“Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism,” AP reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to the Cuban firefight involving a US vessel.
Rubio, who is currently in St. Kitts and Nevis, a small island in the Caribbean, said he doesn’t believe the official narrative coming out of Cuba.
“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here and then we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio said.
WATCH:
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