Boat Shooting Near Cuba Leaves Four Dead

A small boat registered in Florida was hit by Cuban border guards, killing four people and wounding six others. The victims were rescued and treated for their injuries, according to Cuban officials who also released the vessel’s registration number. U. S. Vice President J. D. Vance said he had limited information, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed him on the incident. He added that U. S. officials were monitoring the situation but could not provide further details. Initially, a U. S. source claimed that the firefight involved a civilian boat part of a group trying to bring relatives out of Cuba, not a naval or coast guard vessel. Later intelligence confirmed that only one boat was attacked. The U. S. Coast Guard has asked the U. S. Embassy in Havana for comments, but no response has been received.The attack happened a day after the 30th anniversary of a 1996 event when Cuban forces shot down two planes from a Florida‑based humanitarian group. The organization’s leader, Jose Basulto, was on a third plane that escaped Cuban gunfire. He has warned that people attempting similar missions risk their lives. In the U. S. , Florida Representative Carlos A. Gimenez called for a full investigation, calling the incident a “massacre. ” Florida’s attorney general has ordered an inquiry and warned that the Cuban government cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, Cuba faces severe economic challenges, including oil shortages and high food prices, prompting the U. S. to halt oil shipments and threaten tariffs on any country that supplies Cuba with oil. The incident occurs amid a U. S. campaign targeting speedboats in the region, alleged to transport drugs to America, though evidence for these claims is lacking. U. S. military reports indicate 44 strikes in the area, resulting in at least 150 deaths, a figure that some legal experts say violates international law.