The United States has increased intelligence-gathering flights off the coast of Cuba since February, CNN reported on May 10.

The U.S. Navy and Air Force have carried out at least 25 manned aircraft and drone flights since Feb. 4, mostly concentrated near Havana and Santiago de Cuba, the country's two main cities. Most flights included P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft; RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft, specialized in signals intelligence gathering; and MQ-4C Triton drones, used for high-altitude reconnaissance. Some aircraft flew only 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the coast. Prior to the Jan. 3 operation that captured Venezuela's then-President Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. military conducted military flights off the Venezuelan coast, and a similar pattern was also detected in Iran.