Has the US set the stage for military intervention in Cuba?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubia has said Cuba poses a "national security threat" to the US and the likelihood of a peaceful agreement is "not high". His comments come days after the US announced criminal charges against Cuba’s former president Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel Castro.

The charges relate to his alleged role in the shooting down of two planes in 1996, which killed four people, including three Americans. The Cuban government say the move is “a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation.”

The indictment has drawn comparisons to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and whether the US has set the stage for military intervention.

Asma speaks to Cecilia Barria, a journalist based in Miami for BBC Mundo, and Will Grant, the BBC’s Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent, about the story behind the charges — and why three decades on, the indictment is only happening now.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Raul Castro attend the International Labor Day commemoration in Havana, Cuba, 01 May 2026. Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/Shutterstock