The White House has clarified that a senior US Navy commander, not Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat on September 2, 2025, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the Guardian.
Earlier reporting by The Washington Post suggested the second strike targeted two survivors from the first attack and claimed it was executed under Hegseth’s directive to “kill everybody.” In response to allegations of a potential war crime, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Hegseth authorized the operation but did not issue any order to kill all personnel on board. Hegseth has described reports implying he gave such instructions as “fake news.”
Leavitt explained that Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley to carry out the kinetic strikes. Admiral Bradley acted within his legal authority, ensuring the boat was destroyed and that the threat to the United States was neutralized. When questioned on whether the strike violated international law, Leavitt emphasized that it was conducted in international waters in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, who led the Joint Special Operations Command at the time, is scheduled to provide a classified briefing to congressional lawmakers on Thursday. Hegseth publicly expressed support for Bradley in a social media statement, noting that the decision was the commander’s and reaffirming his confidence in Bradley’s professional judgment.
Both Senate and House Armed Services Committee chairs have initiated investigations into the allegations. Specific details about the vessel and its occupants remain limited. Since September, US airstrikes have targeted suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in at least 83 fatalities. The Trump administration has not provided concrete evidence supporting the allegations behind these strikes, and legal experts have raised questions regarding the operations’ compliance with international law.
Earlier we wrote that Hegseth defends US strikes after report that boat survivors were killed on his orders.
