10 August 2017•Update: 10 August 2017
By Safvan Allahverdi
WASHINGTON, DC
Two diplomats were expelled Wednesday from the Cuban embassy after several U.S. envoys in Havana experiences unexplained symptoms and illnesses one official said includes potentially permanent hearing loss.
"We don't have any definitive answers about the source or the cause of what we consider to be incidents," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a news briefing.
She characterized the incidents as non-life threatening, however, there is an FBI and Diplomatic Security Service investigation into what occurred over the past few months.
"The safety and security of American citizens at home and abroad is our top priority," Nauert said while she emphasized the Cuban government is obligated under the Geneva Convention to protect U.S. diplomats.
Additional U.S. action could follow if the investigation points to the Cuban government being culpable for what happened to the U.S. employees, officials said.
