US indicts Cuba's Raul Castro over 1996 plane shootdown: Another Venezuela-like operation incoming?

The United States (U.S.) Department of Justice has indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in ordering the 1996 shootdown of two civilian humanitarian planes. 

The planes were shot down in international airspace, resulting in the killing of four people, including three U.S. citizens.

The move marks an apparent escalation in the ongoing standoff between Washington and Havana as the U.S. push to topple the socialist government in Cuba.

Earlier, the U.S. imposed an oil embargo on the country pushing the island country into severe energy crises by restricting its fuel imports.

Raul is the younger brother of Revolutionary Communist leader Fidel Castro, who led the country from 1959 to 2008. 

The former defence minister of Cuba took charge as president in 2008 after Fidel fell ill. The legendary Cuban leader died in 2016.

Raul remains a powerful figure among the communist government in Havana despite leaving the presidency in 2018.

Indictments have long been used by the U.S. as a tool for military interventions against foreign leaders' to bring them to “American justice.”

The U.S. cited the drug trafficking indictment of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a justification for Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3, which resulted in the capture of Maduro, a key ally of Cuba.

Although President Trump has already hinted that Cuba could be the potential next target for the U.S. military after Iran War, it remains to be seen if the Pentagon would authorise another Venezuela-like operation to arrest Raul from Cuba.

The Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has warned the U.S. that any potential military action would result in “bloodbath” and severe implications for regional security. 

Cuba has yet to respond to the indictment publicly.