Cuba Condemns US Operation in Venezuela as ‘State Terrorism’ Amid Warnings Havana Could Face Similar Scrutiny
Havana/Caracas/Washington — January 4, 2026
Cuba has fiercely denounced the United States’ military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, labeling it an act of “state terrorism” and a direct threat to regional sovereignty. The strong rebuke from Havana comes as US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have hinted that Cuba—long aligned with Venezuela—could be next in line for heightened American pressure.
On January 3, US forces launched “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a pre-dawn raid involving airstrikes on military targets in northern Venezuela and a special forces extraction in Caracas. President Donald Trump announced that Maduro and Flores had been captured and flown to New York to face longstanding federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and related offenses. Trump stated that the US would temporarily administer Venezuela and involve American companies in exploiting its vast oil reserves, the largest proven in the world.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel addressed thousands at a rally in Havana’s Anti-Imperialist Tribune on January 3, condemning the action as “criminal aggression” aimed at seizing Venezuela’s natural resources. “This is state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America,” Díaz-Canel declared, warning of a broader “neo-fascist strategy” and calling for international mobilization. Cuba, which receives significant subsidized oil from Venezuela in exchange for medical and security support, faces potential economic devastation from disrupted supplies amid its own severe crisis.
In a pointed response, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a vocal critic of both regimes—suggested Cuba should take note. “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit,” Rubio said, alluding to allegations of Cuban security influence in Venezuela. President Trump has also referred to Cuba as a “failing nation,” signaling it may feature in future US policy discussions.
The operation has triggered widespread international condemnation. Allies of Venezuela, including Russia, China, Iran, and several Latin American leaders such as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, decried it as a violation of sovereignty. Some US allies expressed unease over its legality, while domestic supporters hailed it as accountability for alleged drug trafficking.
The raid, described as the most significant US intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion, involved over 150 aircraft and elite forces disabling Venezuelan defenses. Maduro and Flores surrendered without major resistance at their residence in Fuerte Tiuna, according to US officials, and were transferred to the USS Iwo Jima before arriving in New York.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, now acting as interim leader, demanded their immediate release and vowed resistance. The strikes caused casualties, power outages in parts of Caracas, and damage to military sites, though US officials reported no American deaths.
This escalation marks a bold shift in US policy toward leftist governments in the region, raising fears of prolonged instability and further interventions. As Venezuela enters an uncertain transition under temporary US oversight, the fallout—economic, diplomatic, and geopolitical—continues to unfold.
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