Austin: I Trust Intelligence Findings on "Havana Syndrome"

The Pentagon confirmed that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is confident in the U.S. intelligence assessments regarding the lack of involvement of "Washington's adversaries" in the injuries of U.S. officials associated with what is termed "Havana Syndrome." During a press conference on Monday, Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated, "The Secretary has confidence in the intelligence, which continues to make its assessments. The investigation is ongoing, and I will not discuss this matter further at this time." Singh noted that the Pentagon cannot confirm information about the discovery of "Havana Syndrome" symptoms in 11 members of the U.S. team, including 9 military personnel, who were attending Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Vietnam in 2021. This came in response to recent media reports suggesting the possibility of Russia being behind acoustic attacks on U.S. embassy personnel in Havana and other U.S. diplomatic missions since 2016, which have affected the health of the personnel and have been labeled "Havana Syndrome," the nature of which remains unknown. In March 2023, U.S. intelligence published a report stating that the syndrome is likely not related to hostile actions by foreign entities against the United States.