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Alina Fernández, the biological daughter of Fidel Castro and a declared anti-communist living in exile in Miami since 1993, warned in an interview granted to CNN on Tuesday that the United States is underestimating the Cuban regime's ability to resist and respond to any potential military action.
The interview takes place at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Havana, with the Trump administration actively promoting a regime change through sanctions and diplomatic pressure, as well as reports on military options being considered by the Pentagon against Cuba.
"It is not the first time that Cubans have been told that an invasion is imminent," Fernández stated. "We have been under an invasion, or at least in conditions of invasion, for the past 67 years. I am sure they are prepared. I don’t know how they will react."
Fernández acknowledged that he does not feel any appreciation for the government of Havana, but insisted that a military intervention would cause immense suffering for the civilian population.
"We know that these regimes place civilians on the front lines," he said. "That’s the feeling I have: that my joy will not be reflected in how a solution is reached. It’s going to be very painful."
His words align with those of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who warned on his social media this Tuesday that a U.S. military aggression "will provoke a bloodbath with inconceivable consequences."
Regarding Washington's more aggressive rhetoric towards Cuba, Fernández pointed directly to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as its main promoter, even more than President Donald Trump himself.
"I believe it is much more due to Marco Rubio's presence in the government than to President Donald Trump himself," he stated.
Fernández also referred to the imminent federal criminal charge against his uncle Raúl Castro, related to the downing of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, in which four Cuban-Americans lost their lives.
"Raúl Castro is almost 95 years old," he said. "I don't see much logic in what is happening, unless this is part of the strategy."
The Department of Justice was set to make the announcement this Wednesday in Miami, coinciding with Cuban Independence Day, at a highly symbolic political event. The key evidence in the case would be an audio recording from June 1996 in which Raúl Castro allegedly ordered the downing of the aircraft.
Fernández, who fled Cuba in 1993 disguised with a wig and false passport to protect her daughter, rejected Trump's stance that Cuba will easily yield to U.S. pressure.
"It is very difficult for people to give up," he warned. "It is very difficult for countries to admit that they lost the war... I believe they lost this war against imperialism a long time ago."
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