Khaberni - Cuba, the communist state that has long been hostile towards the United States, is bracing itself for an American attack that Washington has previously hinted at.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated that his country is "fully prepared" for a potential American attack following months of pressure exerted by President Donald Trump on the communist island.
Diaz-Canel said in front of thousands of people who participated in a mass rally in Havana to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the failed American invasion of the Bay of Pigs, "We do not want this (confrontation), but it is our duty to be prepared to avoid it, and if it is inevitable, we must be victorious."
Cuba is preparing for a possible attack after repeated warnings from Trump that it is "the next target" following his overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his entry into the war against Iran.
According to American media reports, Washington and Havana have held talks to ease tensions between them, but they have not made significant progress.
Mariela Castro, daughter of former President Raul Castro, stated that Cubans "want dialogue" with Washington, but "without discussing our political system."
She added that her father, 94 years old, who oversaw the historical rapprochement with the United States in 2015 during Barack Obama's administration, was indirectly involved in the talks.
Raul Castro's grandson, Colonel Raul Rodriguez Castro, also participated in them.
Diaz-Canel acknowledged that the current situation is "very serious" but emphasized the "socialist" nature of Cuba, as declared by Fidel Castro on April 16, 1961.
The Bay of Pigs invasion took place in 1961, two years after Castro's revolutionaries took control of the island and began nationalizing properties and companies owned by the United States.
Between April 15 and 19, about 1,400 Cuban exiles opposed to Castro, trained by the American Central Intelligence Agency, landed in the Bay of Pigs, about 250 kilometers south of Havana.
The Cuban forces repelled the invasion, inflicting a harsh defeat on the Americans.
Six decades later, Cuba has again become a target for Washington, as Trump, immediately after capturing Maduro, imposed an oil blockade on the impoverished island, exacerbating its economic crisis.
Diaz-Canel rejected what he described as the United States' depiction of Cuba as a "failed state", affirming, "Cuba is not a failed state, it is a besieged state."
Maria Regueiro, 82, who attended the rally, said that Cubans, as in 1961, "are ready to defend their sovereignty at any cost."
