Top U.S. General Says There Are No Plans For a Forceful Takeover Of Cuba

The commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Francis Donovan, told lawmakers that the army is not making preparations for a forceful takeover of Cuba.

Asked if his forces conducted drills simulating such a scenario, Donovan said no. He also said he was not aware of any plans from the Trump administration to support Cuban groups in exile to topple the Havana regime.

He noted that the U.S. would only deploy troops in the island in case there was a "threat to the security" of the U.S. embassy or its base in Guantanamo Bay and would aim to "defend Americans."

A recent poll showed that less than a quarter of Americans (23%) support the Trump administration using force to achieve regime change in the island.

The survey, conducted by The Economist/YouGov, showed that over half of respondents (53%) said they oppose such a scenario, with the remaining quarter answering that they are not sure

In this context, another report noted that the administration is seeking the ouster of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel as part of negotiations to open up the island's economy.

The New York Times detailed that the administration is not pushing for action against members of the Castro family, suggesting a move to achieve its goals without regime change in a similar way it did in Venezuela earlier this year.

Some Trump officials told the outlet that removing Diaz-Canel could allow structural changes in the country that he is reluctant to allow given his hardline views. They signaled to Cuban negotiators that the president must go but are leaving next steps to Havana.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the report, saying "the reason so many in US media keep putting out fake stories like this one is because they continue to rely on charlatans & liars claiming to be in the know as their sources."

The New York Times replied, with spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander recalling that the report is "based on conversation with four people familiar with the U.S. talks with Cuba."

"Our journalists reached out to your State Department of comment well before publication and received no disagreement with the information we were bringing to light. Neither you nor anyone else has presented a factual dispute to the reporting. Our reporting is real, and accurate," the spokesperson added.