US renews call for Cuba to probe health attacks on diplomats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is renewing calls for the Cuban government to determine the source of “attacks” on U.S. diplomats in Cuba that have affected some two dozen people.

At a senior-level meeting with Cuban officials in Washington on Thursday, the State Department said it had again raised the issue, which has prompted a significant reduction in staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. It reiterated “the urgent need to identify the source of the attacks on U.S. diplomats and to ensure they cease.”

Cuba has denied any knowledge of the source or cause of the incidents that have sickened at least 24 diplomats since late 2016, leaving some with brain damage. Two other diplomats suffering similar symptoms in Cuba were sent last week to medical specialists for evaluation.