War Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the fatal September 2 attack on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean, but officials say he never spoke about what should happen to anyone left alive after the first strike, according to a fresh investigation.
The New York Times, drawing on five U.S. sources, reported that Hegseth’s initial directive to blow up the ship, its alleged narcotics, and all aboard was vague about any survivors.
Adm. Frank Bradley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, eventually approved the initial raid and a series of follow‑up attacks that killed eleven people.
According to the Times, Hegseth did not issue any direct orders to Bradley during the mission and was unaware—at the time—that some passengers were clinging to the wreckage.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narcoterrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war.” She added that Hegseth had authorized Bradley to carry out the kinetic strikes on September 2.
Leavitt went on to say that 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 eliminated.”
President Trump, speaking from Air Force One after his return to Washington from Mar‑a‑Lago, asserted “Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” and expressed confidence in Pete’s statement.
The Republican‑controlled House and Senate Armed Services Committees are now probing the September 2 strike, with some members hinting that ordering the execution of survivors could constitute a war crime.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R‑SC), a former Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force, told CNN, “It’s a long‑held rule that survivors of the ship attack are no longer combatants, and an air crew member in a parachute is no longer a combatant.” He added, “I don’t know what the facts are, but that’s general law. We’ll see what the facts are.”
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