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CNN reported, citing an analysis of flight data, that U.S. forces have significantly increased intelligence flights off the coast of Cuba since February.
The network said in a report that “the number of U.S. military intelligence flights off the coast of Cuba has risen sharply.”
It added that, particularly since February 4, the U.S. Navy and Air Force have carried out at least 25 such intelligence missions using manned aircraft and drones, most of them near Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Most of the flights were conducted by Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Boeing RC-135 aircraft.
CNN noted that such flights had been extremely rare in the area before February.
The report recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 29 allowing tariffs to be imposed on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba, and also declared a state of emergency over what he described as an alleged Cuban threat to U.S. national security.
The Cuban government said the United States was seeking, through the blockade of energy resources, to strangle the Cuban economy and make living conditions on the island unbearable.
