Cuba pays tribute to 32 soldiers killed in US attack on Venezuela

2 hours ago 4

Cuban president says soldiers fell defending ‘sovereignty of a sister nation’ amid escalating tensions with Washington.

Published On 15 Jan 2026

Cuba has paid tribute to 32 of its soldiers who were killed successful a United States attack on Venezuela earlier this period that led to the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.

The remains of the soldiers, who were members of Cuba’s equipped forces and quality agencies, arrived aboriginal connected Thursday astatine Havana’s planetary airport, successful coffins draped successful the Cuban flag.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

end of list

President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro, the 94-year-old retired erstwhile Cuban leader, were contiguous successful afloat subject azygous to person the remains.

Diaz-Canel hailed the soldiers earlier this week, saying they “heroically fell successful defence of the sovereignty of a sister nation”.

At Thursday’s event, Interior Minister General Lazaro Alberto Alvarez besides expressed the country’s gratitude for the soldiers helium said had “fought to the past bullet” during the US military’s January 3 attack connected the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

“We bash not person them with resignation; we bash truthful with profound pride,” said Alvarez, adding that the US “will ne'er beryllium capable to bargain the dignity of the Cuban people”.

Cubans wage their respects during the ceremonial honors of the 32 Cuban soldiers who died during the US incursion to seizure Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro, astatine the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces successful Havana connected January 15, 2026.

A motorcade aboriginal transferred the remains to the equipped forces ministry on 1 of Havana’s main boulevards, lined by thousands of radical paying their respects, waving flags and saluting.

Residents of the superior besides lined up to wage their respects astatine the ministry passim the day.

US President Donald Trump has rejected planetary disapproval that the raid to seizure Maduro violated planetary law, stressing past week that helium volition lone beryllium guided by his “own morality”.

That led to soaring tensions astir the world, including successful Latin America successful particular, which has a agelong past of US subject intervention.

Tensions betwixt the US and Cuba spiralled this week aft Trump told the state helium would chopped disconnected Venezuelan lipid and wealth from reaching the island, warning Havana to marque a woody earlier it’s “too late”.

Trump’s comments prompted a defiant effect from Diaz-Canel, who said Cuba would support its homeland “to the past driblet of blood”.

“We person ever been consenting to support superior and liable dialog with the assorted US administrations, including the existent one, connected the ground of sovereign equality, communal respect and the principles of planetary law,” the Cuban president said.

He added that relations betwixt the US and Cuba should beryllium based connected planetary instrumentality alternatively than “hostility, threats, and economical coercion”.

Meanwhile, a rally is besides planned connected Friday successful beforehand of the US embassy successful Havana to protestation the Trump administration’s cognition successful Venezuela.

Maduro, who was abducted by US forces alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, is being held successful the US connected drug-related charges, which helium denies.