Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech at an event condemning the US military aggression against Venezuela in Havana, capital of Cuba, on January 3, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared two days of mourning as the government said 32 Cubans had been killed when defending Maduro during US attack on Venezuela, Cuban news agency Prensa Latina reported on Sunday local time.

There would be two days of mourning on ‌January 5 and ‌6 in ⁠honor of those killed and that ‌funeral arrangements would be announced, Al Jazeera reported.

US President Donald Trump previously referred that "a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday" as they sought to protect Nicolas Maduro from a force of American special operators and law enforcement officials, but offered no number, according to The New York Times. 

When asked whether Cuba was the Trump administration's "next target," Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on NBC's "Meet the Press", "The Cuban government is a huge problem."

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday condemned the "criminal attack" by the US against Venezuela, demanding an urgent response from the international community, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

In a social media post, the president said that Latin America was being brutally assaulted, and called it "state terrorism against the brave people of Venezuela and against Our America."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also condemned the ongoing US military aggression against Venezuela on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

Global Times