*Cuba condemns US accusation against Raúl Castro, defends 1996 airspace action*

The government of Cuba has condemned what it called a “despicable accusation” by the US Department of Justice against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, escalating tensions between Havana and Washington over a 1996 incident involving the downing of two civilian aircraft.

In a statement issued Wednesday in Havana, Cuban authorities rejected the reported US legal action announced on 20 May. They said Washington lacked both “legitimacy and jurisdiction” to accuse Castro over the February 1996 incident involving aircraft operated by the Miami-based anti-Castro group Brothers to the Rescue.

The Cuban government argued that the aircraft had repeatedly violated Cuban airspace in the years before the incident. It maintained that the response by Cuban forces was an act of “legitimate self-defense” under international law.

The controversy centers on the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes by Cuban fighter jets. Four people were killed in the incident, which drew international condemnation at the time. The aircraft were reportedly engaged in missions linked to Cuban exile activism and humanitarian operations.

Havana said the United States ignored repeated warnings and formal complaints made between 1994 and 1996 to US authorities, including the State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization, over alleged incursions into Cuban airspace.

Cuba accused Washington of distorting the historical record and overlooking what it described as more than 25 deliberate violations of Cuban airspace by the organization during that period.

The statement also claimed that US authorities failed to act despite warnings from Cuba about the potential consequences of continued flights near or over Cuban territory.

Havana criticized what it called the “double standards” of the United States on issues of sovereignty and national security. It argued that Washington would not tolerate unauthorized foreign aircraft entering its airspace under hostile circumstances.

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The Cuban government linked the accusation against Castro to broader US sanctions and longstanding hostility toward the island. It described American measures against Cuba as “collective punishment” and an “energy blockade.”

Relations between the United States and Cuba have remained strained for decades, shaped by political tensions dating back to the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. Efforts at diplomatic rapprochement have been intermittent, with disputes over human rights, sanctions, migration and security issues continuing to complicate ties.

US authorities had not issued a detailed public response to Cuba’s latest statement as of Wednesday evening.

Cuba concluded its statement by reaffirming support for Raúl Castro and reiterating its commitment to defending the country’s sovereignty and socialist system.