Havana, Cuba - April 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Rally in progress
2. People at rally
3. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaking at rally
4. People holding placards
5. Various of people at rally

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged Cuban citizens to prepare to fight in case of an invasion in a thinly veiled reference to the United States during a rally in the capital Havana on Thursday.

The grand rally was held on Thursday morning to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Fidel Castro's declaration that the Cuban Revolution was of a socialist nature.

Diaz-Canel, leaders of the Cuban Revolution, government officials, and representatives from all sectors of society attended the event.

The Pentagon is stepping up contingency planning for a possible military operation in Cuba, in case U.S. President Donald Trump orders an intervention on the island country, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Citing two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the report said the directives appear to reflect an escalation of recent tensions between the two countries since January, when the Trump administration imposed new oil restrictions on Cuba and issued military threats as part of a broader plan to force political changes there.

On Monday, Trump threatened again that Cuba would be Washington's next target following attacks on Venezuela and Iran.

In an interview with NBC aired Sunday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that dialog with the United States is possible but difficult.

Cuba is willing to engage with Washington on issues such as migration, drug trafficking and security, but only based on "respect and equality," Diaz-Canel said.

Cuba has been facing a severe economic and energy crisis since the U.S. military raided Venezuela and took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by force on January 3. The U.S. operation on Caracas has heavily disrupted Cuba's oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico afterward.