Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a code arsenic helium flutters a Venezuelan nationalist emblem successful enactment of Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro successful Havana connected January 3, 2026, aft US forces captured him. President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuela's person Nicolas Maduro aft bombing the superior Caracas and different cities successful a melodramatic climax to a months-long standoff betwixt Trump and his Venezuelan arch-foe. (Photo by ADALBERTO ROQUE / AFP via Getty Images)
Adalberto Roque | Afp | Getty Images
Cuba announced connected Monday that 32 of its citizens were killed successful combat during the U.S. raid connected Venezuela.
The raid connected Saturday, which saw U.S. forces apprehension and extract Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to New York, reportedly saw a ample portion of his information squad killed.
The Cubans were performing missions connected behalf of the Cuban Armed Forces and interior ministry, the country's statesmanlike bureau said connected Facebook.
"Faithful to their responsibilities with information and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their work with dignity and heroically and fell, aft ferocious resistance, into nonstop combat against the attackers oregon arsenic a effect of the bombings of the facilities," the connection said, according to a translation by Facebook.
Cuba besides called the U.S. strikes a "criminal enactment of aggression and authorities terrorism," and said the Cuban authorities volition wage tribute to the dead.
The U.S. strikes came aft weeks of subject buildup successful the portion and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Maduro.
After the raid, Trump said that the U.S. was going to "run" Venezuela, "until specified clip arsenic we tin bash a safe, due and judicious transition."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. volition usage leverage gained from its lipid blockade connected the state and determination subject buildup to execute its argumentation aims.
"We privation Venezuela to determination successful a definite direction," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press" big Kristen Welker.
Seperately, Rubio said connected ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that arsenic the U.S. has a "quaratine" connected Venezuelan oil.
"That means their system volition not beryllium capable to determination guardant until the conditions that are successful the nationalist involvement of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan radical are met, and that's what we mean to do," helium added.
The U.S. successful caller months has seized tankers associated with the state and moved subject ships and warplanes into the Caribbean.
— CNBC's Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
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