US Secretary does not rule out operation to capture Cuban president

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said "all options are on the table" when asked about a possible military operation in Cuba to capture President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The head of the Pentagon was asked whether a "capture or kill" operation against the Cuban leader is an alternative contemplated by US Defense and replied: "We have options on all sides."

"We literally make our living by planning. So outside of the Pentagon, no one plans better than CENTCOM (United States Central Command). To get back to the core of why we're here, all of these options are on the table," he added in remarks during his visit to Florida-based CENTCOM.

Hegseth said that "there is a lot of pressure on the Cuban regime right now, and rightly so," and maintained that the island's authorities "have big decisions they should be making, and sometimes leaders make the wrong decisions when they are under pressure."

However, he avoided answering whether the Department of Defense plans an operation similar to the one carried out in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro. "All I would say is: options, options, options. Our job is to present options at different scales depending on where the commander in chief, the president of the United States, wants to go," he said.

CNN has requested comment from the Government of Cuba and is awaiting a response.

The head of the Pentagon was at the Guantánamo naval base on Wednesday (10) and stated that "what happens in the future of Cuba is in the hands of the President of the United States", Donald Trump, and that the Department of Defense "will be prepared and in position for any contingency".

In response, Cuba's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón, reacted in X: "The future of Cuba, a sovereign and independent country, corresponds solely and exclusively to the Cuban people and their government. The Secretary of Defense, who believes that Cuba's future is in other hands, is completely wrong."

Hegseth's visit to the base came days after Washington announced new sanctions against Díaz-Canel and other senior Cuban officials. Since January, the White House has increased pressure on Cuba with an oil blockade that has worsened the country's energy crisis, demanding the government implement political and economic reforms.

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Source: CNN