White House Confirms Follow-Up Strike On Drug Boat As Lawmakers Look Into War Crimes
The White House confirmed reporting that a second, lethal strike was ordered on a suspected drug-trafficking boat during a September operation targeting alleged narco-terrorists in the Caribbean. But, it disputed Washington Post reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth specifically instructed SEAL Team Six to “kill everybody” on board after the first strike left some survivors.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Admiral Mitch Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command ordered the follow-up strike after two survivors — out of 11 people on board — were reportedly seen following the initial blast.
“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. ”Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was completely eliminated.”
REPORT BLOWBACK
Hegseth called the Washington Post report “fake news” on X Friday, going on to say, “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law,” without disputing that he gave the orders for a second strike on that first U.S. attack in September. Under the laws of war, it is illegal not to spare the life of someone who is surrendering or otherwise unable to fight — known as the prohibition of denying quarter. Legal experts note the two survivors did not pose an imminent threat to the U.S.
The Senate and House Armed Services Committees have vowed a bipartisan investigation into the matter, with lawmakers raising alarm that targeting the survivors could be a war crime. The Pentagon’s top general reportedly spoke with lawmakers this weekend.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said Sunday that Congress does not yet have evidence that the orders occurred. If it did, he said, “that would be very serious, and I agree that would be an illegal act.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said that “if it was as if the article said, that is a violation of the law of war.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said it would rise to the level of war crimes and called on the White House to provide more information.
Leavitt said President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have designated narco-terror groups as foreign terrorist organizations, allowing lethal targeting under the laws of war. Scholars have raised questions about the legality of the strikes.
The Trump administration has notified Congress that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with “designated terrorist organizations.”
The broader campaign has included strikes on more than 20 additional boats and killed more than 80 people.
POSSIBLE ESCALATION?
Trump confirmed Sunday that he recently spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after announcing the closure of Venezuelan airspace on Truth Social. While he didn’t discuss it publicly, Trump reportedly gave Maduro an ultimatum to step down from power — to which Maduro refused.
While the U.S. president can’t legally close another country’s airspace, flight radars showed international planes diverting around Venezuela.
The Maduro government responded, calling Trump’s move “a new extravagant, illegal, and unjustified aggression against the people of Venezuela.”
Airspace closures usually precede airstrikes, though Trump insisted Sunday that his comment should not be read as a signal of imminent military action.
Bottom line: The latest reports are not easing criticism from either party about the Trump administration’s campaign against Venezuela’s leadership — and its growing military presence in the Caribbean.