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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing allegations over claims that he issued a scandalous order to «kill everybody» during the second strike of an attack on a suspected cartel drug boat last September. At the time of the second strike, the occupants of the boat were reportedly already stranded, and many experts say that this follow-up strike is considered a «war crime».
The legality of striking survivors
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have launched inquiries into allegations that U.S. forces, acting on an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, targeted survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat.
The scrutiny centers on a follow-up strike carried out against individuals who had already survived the first attack on the vessel, which was suspected of involvement in cartel-linked trafficking.
The White House on Monday defended a U.S. admiral's decision to conduct multiple strikes on the alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel in September, stating that he had authorization from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
«We'll look into it, but no I wouldn't have wanted that, a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine.»
A potential war crime
However, critics are questioning the legality of striking survivors, with many describing the operation as a potential war crime.
The second strike is considered by many experts to be a war crime because it allegedly targeted stranded survivors who were already out of combat, which would violate international humanitarian law by breaching the principles of distinction and proportionality, ignoring the special protection granted to shipwrecked persons and other individuals hors de combat under the Geneva Conventions, and potentially failing to respect the obligation to spare and, where possible, rescue those who no longer pose a military threat.
When asked by reporters whether he had authorized or supported such a follow-up strike, Trump responded:
«We'll look into it, but no I wouldn't have wanted that, a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine.»
Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the allegations warranted scrutiny, declaring:
«We should get to the truth. I don't think he would be foolish enough to make this decision to say, kill everybody, kill the survivors because that's a clear violation of the law of war. So, I'm very suspicious that he would've done something like that because it would go against common sense.»
14 strikes
Based on currently available media counts, as of December 2, 2025 the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged or been reported as carrying out roughly 14 U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, meaning at least that many vessels have been hit.
Estimated deaths range from a minimum of 61 people in 14 strikes according to FactCheck.org to more than 70–80 alleged traffickers killed in «more than a dozen» strikes according to NPR and an ABC News timeline.
Congress is now demanding access to any audio or video recordings of the controversial second boat strike, as the Trump administration moves to deflect blame away from Pete Hegseth.
