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TIMES CARIBBEAN — The Caribbean and Latin American geopolitical landscape was rocked on Sunday after the government of confirmed that 32 Cuban nationals were killed during the U.S. military operation in that resulted in the dramatic seizure of Venezuelan President .

In a somber statement issued from , Cuban authorities announced two days of national mourning—January 5 and 6, honoring what they described as fallen members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services. Funeral arrangements, the government said, will be announced shortly.

“True to their responsibilities concerning security and defense, our compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism,” the statement declared. “They fell after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombings on the facilities.”

Cuban Presence Around Maduro Confirmed

The Cuban government provided few operational details but confirmed that all 32 fatalities were Cuban personnel assigned to security and intelligence functions. Their deaths underscore Havana’s long-standing—yet often opaque—security cooperation with Caracas since Maduro’s rise to power.

U.S. President , speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Florida, acknowledged Cuban casualties and framed the operation as overwhelmingly one-sided.

“A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” Trump said. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”

Trump added that the Cubans killed were serving as bodyguards to Maduro, though it remains unclear how many were positioned directly around the Venezuelan leader at the time of the raid and how many were stationed elsewhere.

Rubio Issues Stark Warning

U.S. Senator intensified the rhetoric on Sunday, issuing a pointed warning to Cuban leadership in the aftermath of Maduro’s removal.

“If I were in Havana right now,” Rubio said, “I’d be concerned.”

The remarks have fueled speculation that the operation in Venezuela could signal a broader recalibration—or escalation—of U.S. policy toward governments viewed as enabling or protecting alleged narco-linked regimes.

Maduro in U.S. Custody

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured Saturday in and flown to the United States. He is currently being held in a New York detention center and is expected to make a court appearance on Monday to face drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges.

Indicted in 2020, Maduro has consistently denied all allegations, accusing Washington of political persecution and imperial overreach.

A Region on Edge

Cuba’s declaration of national mourning marks one of the most emotionally charged responses yet to the unprecedented U.S. intervention. Across the Caribbean and Latin America, governments are now grappling with the implications of a military extraction that has not only toppled a sitting head of state but also left dozens of foreign security personnel dead.

As flags fly at half-mast in Havana and tensions ripple outward, the question confronting the region is no longer whether this operation will have consequences—but how far those consequences will reach.