U.S. to require Cuba to cut embassy staff in Washington by 60 pct: report

The U.S. government was preparing to ask Cuba to cut its embassy staff in Washington by 60 percent, reported local media on Monday citing U.S. officials.

The U.S. State Department was expected to announce the decision as soon as Tuesday, said U.S. media citing the anonymous officials who were familiar with the plan.

The new move followed the State Department's announcement on Friday which ordered more than half of the staff at the U.S. embassy in Havana to leave, following mysterious "incidents" that caused health problems for American diplomats.

U.S. authorities confirmed in August that at least 21 Americans working at the embassy in Havana had suffered physical debilitations.

Also on Friday, the U.S. government warned against travels to Cuba.

Cuba said on Friday that the U.S. decision to withdraw its diplomatic personnel is a "hasty decision" that will affect bilateral relations between the former Cold War enemies.

Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, director general of U.S. affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said in a short statement on TV that Cuba has "no responsibility" over the alleged "sonic attacks" on U.S. diplomats.

Earlier last week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to discuss the incidents. It was the highest-level diplomatic contact between the two countries since Donald Trump became U.S. president in January.