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4h ago

Cuba Stages Mass Protest at U.S. Embassy After Honoring 32 Officers Killed in Venezuela Raid

Trump threatens to cut Venezuelan oil to the island, with Havana rejecting U.S. aid as political manipulation.

A motorcade transports the Cuban‑flag‑draped urns of soldiers killed in the U.S. strike and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas on January 3, as Cuba honors them with a caravan through Havana on January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
Cubans pay their respects as a motorcade transports the remains of soldiers killed in the U.S. strike and capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas on January 3, as Cuba honors the soldiers, in Havana, Cuba, January 15, 2026. Ernesto Mastrascusa/Pool via REUTERS
The Cuban flag flies at half mast in front of the U.S. Embassy after the Cuban government ordered a two-day period of national mourning following the deaths of Cubans in the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Havana, Cuba January 5, 2026. REUTERS/Norlys Perez
Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-staff at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Overview

  • Tens of thousands gathered before the U.S. embassy in Havana to denounce the Jan. 3 operation and demand Nicolás Maduro’s release from U.S. custody.
  • The remains of 32 Cuban military and intelligence officers were returned Thursday, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro presiding over state tributes and public mourning.
  • Cuban authorities said many of the dead served on Maduro’s protection team under bilateral accords and praised them as heroes who “fought to the last bullet.”
  • President Donald Trump warned Cuba to “make a deal” and vowed to stop Venezuelan oil and money from reaching the island, as Cuba dismissed new U.S. hurricane relief as politically motivated.
  • Cuban leaders highlighted claims of fierce resistance, including an assertion that a Cuban officer downed a U.S. helicopter, while viral “shrink ray” rumors were debunked as the urns contained cremated remains.