President Donald Trump said Sunday he will “look into” reports that U.S. forces carried out a follow-up strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean, a second hit that reportedly killed survivors of the initial missile attack. Trump added he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike, if true.
The Sept. 2 operation was the first publicly acknowledged effort in a larger campaign targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
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It follows a Washington Post report published Friday stating that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered all crew members killed during the administration’s first strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in September.
According to the report, U.S. surveillance spotted two survivors clinging to the burning vessel after the first strike. A second strike was then carried out, supposedly to make sure no one was left alive.
Hegseth responds
Hegseth responded to The Post’s report on social media, saying, “As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”
“Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict — and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” he added.
The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, has called on the U.S. to review the legality of the strikes, stating there is “strong evidence” that the second hit amounted to an extrajudicial killing.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now backing a congressional review.
War crime?
Some lawmakers claim that if the report is accurate, it could constitute a war crime.
“I think it’s very possible there was a war crime committed,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md, told ABC News on Sunday. “Of course, for it to be a war crime, you have to accept the Trump administration’s whole construct here … which is we’re in armed conflict, at war with this particular — with the drug gangs. Of course, they’ve never presented the public with the information they’ve got here. If that theory is wrong, then it’s plain murder.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, told CBS News, “If that reporting is true, it’s a clear violation of the DoD’s own laws of war, as well as international laws about the way you treat people who are in that circumstance.”
The Armed Services Committees in both the House and Senate have now opened formal investigations.
Trump and Maduro
Trump also confirmed Sunday that he’s recently spoken to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but did not give any details about the call. Meanwhile, Maduro made his first public appearance in days on Sunday, ending speculation that he had fled amid escalating tensions with the U.S.
Maduro usually appears on Venezuelan television multiple times a week. However, he had not been seen in public since Wednesday, sparking rumors and concern.
Airspace closed
This weekend, Trump also declared that U.S. airlines should consider all airspace “above and around Venezuela” to be closed, as he weighs possible action against drug traffickers there.
“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” he wrote.
Venezuela’s government called that claim false and denounced it as a “colonial threat” that undermines the country’s sovereignty.
“Such declarations constitute a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act,” the country’s Foreign Ministry added.
