Wed Dec 03 02:52:21 UTC 2025: News Article:
Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Alleged Drug Boat, Denies Seeing Survivors
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing intense scrutiny and calls for his resignation following his defense of a controversial second strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea in September. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Hegseth stated he did not personally witness any survivors before the second deadly strike, which has ignited accusations of potential war crimes.
The incident, which occurred on September 2, involved a follow-up strike on the wreckage of a vessel initially targeted for allegedly transporting narcotics. Reports have surfaced suggesting the second strike targeted survivors clinging to debris, a claim Hegseth vehemently denies.
“I did not personally see survivors,” Hegseth said, attributing any potential obscured view to “the fog of war.” He further stated Admiral Frank Bradley, the mission commander, made “the right call” to eliminate the threat, fully supported by the Trump administration, which now refers to the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The controversy stems from a report in The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, alleging the second strike was carried out under Hegseth’s directive to leave no one alive. Hegseth has dismissed the report as “fake news” and “fabricated.”
Democratic lawmakers and legal scholars have condemned the incident. Senator Chris Van Hollen stated on X, formerly Twitter, that the act could be considered an “extrajudicial killing amounting to murder or a war crime,” and called for Hegseth’s resignation, stating that he is “unfit to serve”.
Legal experts point to the Pentagon’s own manual on the laws of war, which explicitly prohibits targeting survivors of shipwrecked vessels. The Trump administration has conducted at least 22 strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths. Critics argue these actions constitute extrajudicial killings and violate international law.
The administration has yet to release evidence supporting its claims that the targeted boats were carrying narcotics destined for the U.S. or controlled by cartels. The incident continues to fuel debate over the legality and morality of the administration’s military campaign against alleged drug trafficking.
First Piper 