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Monday, September 18, 2017, 10:25
Tillerson: US weighing closing embassy in Cuba
By Reuters
Monday, September 18, 2017, 10:25 By Reuters

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson takes part in a press conference after his meeting on Libya, at Lancaster House in London on Sept 14, 2017. (HANNAH MCKAY / POOL / AFP)

WASHINGTON - The United States is considering closing its embassy in Havana in response to an alleged sonic attack on US personnel in Cuba, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday.

"We have it under evaluation," Tillerson said on CBS' "Face the Nation" program. "It's a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered."

It's a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered

Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, America

Five Republican senators on Friday called for the Trump administration to retaliate against the Cuban government by expelling Cuban diplomats and possibly shuttering the US embassy there over attacks that began in late 2016.

ALSO READ: Cuba opens 5-month transition as Castro set to step down

The State Department said in August that Americans linked to the US embassy in Havana had experienced physical symptoms from "incidents" involving sound waves. Five Canadians were also affected.

Symptoms included nausea, dizziness and temporary loss of hearing or memory.

Cuba, the United States and Canada have investigated the attacks, but the probe has not yielded any answers about how they were carried out or who was responsible for them.

Cuba has denied involvement. The US State Department has not blamed Havana for the attacks but asked two Cuban diplomats to leave Washington in May.

READ MORE: Hearing loss of US diplomats in Cuba blamed on covert device

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