U.S. Southern Command chief met with Cuban military leaders in Guantanamo

U.S. Southern Command chief Gen. Francis Donovan held a meeting with Cuban military officials on the perimeter of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Reuters reported. This encounter marks the first time a head of the Southern Command has met with Cuban authorities in an extended period.

The meeting occurs against a backdrop of heightened concern in Cuba regarding a potential U.S. military strike. The Cuban delegation included Gen. Roberto Legra Sotolongo, first deputy chief of the General Staff. The U.S. has recently intensified its pressure on the island nation.

U.S. President Donald Trump has previously identified Cuba as a foreign policy target, suggesting it would become a priority after the war with Iran concludes. Cuba, a strategic Latin American nation, has been an antagonist to the United States since Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959. Trump also benefits from strong support among exiled Cubans in Miami, who advocate for regime change.

Further escalating tensions, Washington formally accused former Cuban President Raúl Castro on May 20 of four counts of murder related to the 1996 downing of a civilian aircraft operated by Miami exiles. Shortly after this accusation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States was "very focused" on changing Cuba's communist system. In response, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez appealed to the international community for urgent assistance to prevent a "catastrophe" on the island, citing an energy blockade by the United States and calling for "solidarity."