World
As US block of oil supply deepens energy crisis, Cubans ask: What more can we sacrifice?
HAVANA (AP) — After a day spent selling books, Solanda Oña typically boards a bus from a wealthy seaside district in Havana to her home in the city’s working-class center.
But on Thursday night, the bus never came. The 64-year-old bookseller spent the night sleeping in a nearby restaurant instead, worried that this could be the new normal if the gas that fuels the island runs out.
Anxieties simmered in Havana on Friday, a day after Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that U.S. efforts to block oil supplies would take a heavy toll on the Caribbean nation and asked Cubans to endure further sacrifices to weather the impending hardship.
Many Cubans, already reeling from years of deepening economic crisis, were left asking: What more can we sacrifice?
“I’m very worried,” Oña said. “Before, things were always difficult. But there was always one bus. One way to get home. Now, there are none.”
By Friday morning, working class residents like Oña were already seeing an inkling of what the future might hold.
People wait to board transportation in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Already unreliable public buses stopped running altogether, leaving many stranded for hours. Others were left walking large distances or hitchhiking. Long gas lines and black outs, a constant on the island, have grown even worse as U.S. President Donald Trump presses down on Cuba with an increasingly heavy hand.
Last week, Trump signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple an island plagued by a deepening energy crisis.
On Friday, the national transportation company also said it was cutting routes in the east of the island while the University of Havana said it would cancel some events and push for more remote learning, citing “energy deficits.”
A commuter carries a cake in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Meanwhile, much of the city of 2 million – schools, banks, bakeries and shops – continued to operate as usual, underscoring how normal the crisis has become on the Caribbean island. Taxis, shared electric motorcycles and other transportation organized by some employers were still working in Havana’s capital. However, taxi fares remain far out of reach for the many Cubans living on a state salary of less than $20 a month.
While the U.S. announced $6 million in aid to Cubans Thursday night, severing the island from its primary energy sources has dealt a blow to the nation, especially to civilians who often bear the brunt of the economic crisis. Cuba only produces 40% of the oil it consumes.
The island’s communist government says U.S. sanctions cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025, substantially more than the year before.
The crisis deepened after Venezuela — once Cuba’s primary oil-rich ally — ceased shipments in January, following a U.S. military operation that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro. Then, in late January Mexico, a long vocal ally of Cuba, halted its oil exports to the island.
A man wearing a jacket in the colors of Venezuela’s flag lines up to purchase fuel at a gas station in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Left with few alternatives, many Cubans now say the current economic turmoil U.S. policies have wrought on their daily lives is comparable to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the Special Period, following cuts in Soviet aid.
“What does it mean to not allow a single drop of fuel to reach a country?” Díaz-Canel said. “It affects the transportation of food, food production, public transportation, the functioning of hospitals, institutions of all kinds, schools, economic production, tourism. How do our vital systems function without fuel?”
For Cristina Díaz, a 51-year-old mother of two, the answer was to walk to her work as a house cleaner. She was joined by packs of others in the capital that strolled along the side of the road on Friday, once again adapting to a new reality.
“We’re living as best we can,” Díaz said. “What can I do? I live here, I was born here and this is my lot. I have to walk to get to work and to be able to feed my children.”
People use a bicycle taxi in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
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JERUSALEM: Israel’s Squadron 200, also known as the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadron, has played a crucial role in destroying more than half of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile launchers as the 14th day of the war unfolds across the Middle East.
Fox News Digital gained access to one of Israel’s most experienced and veteran UAV operators from Squadron 200. “I have been flying drones for the past 25 years, and other operational missions have prepared me for this war,” said the IDF Squadron leader.
He summed up the highly sensitive nature of his work in protecting the Israeli civilian population. “Every night that my wife and my kids sleep a full night without an alarm is something I can give credit to the air force and drone operators.” Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
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Israeli Air Force personnel from Squadron 200 oversee a Heron-1 (“Shoval”) UAV flight. Established in the 1970s, the “First UAV Squadron” operates advanced unmanned systems for surveillance, intelligence and precision missions across multiple arenas. (IDF)
The IDF drone commander said the main goal of his squadron is to “find rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles that are a risk to our pilots who fly over and destroy them before they launch missiles and gain air superiority for the area and reduce the risk for civilians back at home.”
He added that “We can take a lot of credit for the reduction” in Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.
The stakes are high for the UAV operators. Iran’s aerial warfare campaign has led to the deaths of 12 Israelis and over 2,975 people have been admitted to Israeli hospitals.
People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
An IDF spokesman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Iran has launched “many dozens of missiles with cluster bomb heads spread across Israel.” The cluster munitions are particularly lethal because they murder or severely injure with scattered bomblets that can also stay active long after their launch.
Just days ago, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, told Fox News Digital that the army has had a “near complete success” rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets.
However, the drone commander warned that the “great decrease in the number of launchers does not mean we can sit and rest.”
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The IDF drone commander said, “one thing we learned from October 7 is that we should eliminate risks before they become too big.”
A Heron-1 (“Shoval”) UAV, operated by Israeli Air Force Squadron 200, takes off for an intelligence and surveillance mission. Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, the aircraft can remain airborne for extended periods, delivering day-and-night real-time intelligence. (IDF)
“The important thing is the goal of bringing peace to the Middle East,” he said with reference to when Iran and Israel had cordial relations before the 1979 Islamic Republic revolution in Iran and President Trump’s advocacy for peace in the region.
The complex running of a drone team was described as “orchestra” work, by the UAV operator, where a 3-person crew — commander, pilot and operator — seamlessly coordinate their various activities.
According to the IDF, Squadron 200 operates the Heron-1 (“Shoval”) UAV, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, support of ground forces and precision strike missions.”
A general view of Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 2, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Contributor/Getty Images)
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The IDF said that the air force’s drones “are capable of remaining airborne for extended periods and providing real-time intelligence to forces on the ground, both day and night and over long distances.
The squadron was established in the 1970s as part of the development of the Israeli Air Force’s UAV array and has since participated in numerous operations across different arenas.”
Published On 13 Mar 2026
Tens of thousands of people have gathered around the world for al-Quds Day, an annual event on the final Friday of Ramadan demonstrating solidarity with Palestine and opposition to Israeli occupation.
Rallies took place across numerous countries, including Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kashmir and Yemen. In Tehran, thousands marched, chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America” as the United States-Israeli military campaign entered its 14th day of conflict.
The event has long been associated with Iran, and was established by the country’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1979.
This year’s observance coincided with the US-Israel attack on Iran that has killed at least 1,444 people, including the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Crowds turned out in Tehran and other cities, despite ongoing US and Israeli strikes in the region during the commemoration, state media reported.
Demonstrators worldwide expressed solidarity with both Palestinians and Iranians. In Kashmir, protesters burned mock coffins bearing images of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while shouting slogans against the United States and Israel.
For the first time in 40 years, the United Kingdom banned London’s al-Quds Day march, citing risks of public disorder related to the “volatile situation in the Middle East” and potential confrontations between opposing groups. This marks the first protest ban since 2012, when authorities prohibited marches by the far-right English Defence League.
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, another 18,551 people have been injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28.
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