Washington:

U.S. intelligence officials concluded it is “highly unlikely” that the mysterious illness known as Havana syndrome, which is afflicting U.S. personnel, was caused by a foreign actor or an energy weapon, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The first cases of what became known as Havana syndrome emerged in Cuba in 2016, with complaints of nosebleeds, migraines and nausea after experiencing piercing noises at night.

U.S. intelligence had said in 2022 that intense focused energy from an outside source could have caused some cases of the debilitating condition.

And while the CIA said the same year it was “unlikely” that a foreign actor had conducted a sustained campaign targeting U.S. personnel, it couldn’t rule out foreign attacks in about two dozen cases.

Of the seven agencies that participated in the intelligence investigation of 1,000 so-called anomalous health incidents, five said it was “highly unlikely” that a foreign actor was responsible, either intentionally through means such as a directed energy weapon, or unintentionally, the Post reported. .

Another agency said it was “unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible, while another abstained, the newspaper added.

The cases of Havana syndrome raised suspicions that Russia or another rival was campaigning to hurt US officials.

The reports of unexplained physical ailments spread to US officials in China, Russia, Europe and even Washington, prompting a wider government investigation.

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