U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is reviewing a closure of its embassy in Cuba due to “health attacks” on American diplomats there that have caused hearing loss, concussions, and other symptoms, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“We have it under evaluation. It’s a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered,” Tillerson told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“We have it under evaluation. It’s a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered,” Tillerson added. “We’ve brought some of those people home. It’s under review.”
Officials at the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately answer to a request for comment.
The health problems began last December and have reappeared in August, the State Department has said. The department has confirmed that at least 21 Americans have been affected.
Officials have not revealed what causes these episodes, but there are speculations that they were from sonic waves from covert listening devices, although this kind of devices has not been found.
The State Department has not blamed Cuba for these incidents. Cuba is part of the investigation and has denied any involvement. U.S. and Cuban officials discussed the incidents in Washington Friday.
Five Republican senators on Friday sent a letter to Tillerson urging him to close the U.S. embassy in Havana and declare the Cuban personnel in the U.S. persona non grata if Cuba doesn’t take tangible actions on the health incidents.
Be the first to comment