The U.S. Navy’s top commander has ordered a second strike against a suspected Venezuelan drug ship, the White House has confirmed.
The “Double Tap” strike on September 2 sparked bipartisan scrutiny among U.S. lawmakers. The Washington Post recently reported that two people survived the first explosion and were still clinging to the burning ship when they died, raising new questions about its legality.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorized the strikes but had not given the order to “kill everyone.”
“Admiral (Frank) Bradley worked well within his authority and the law in ordering additional strikes,” Leavitt said.
Since early September, several similar attacks have occurred in the Caribbean, killing more than 80 people. Each announcement by U.S. officials is usually accompanied by grainy footage, but there is no evidence of alleged drug trafficking and few details about who or what was aboard each vessel.
The Trump administration said it was acting in self-defense, including destroying ships transporting illegal drugs to the United States.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed concern about reports of the September 2 incident and pledged a congressional review of the strike.
Democratic lawmakers, including Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, also said Hegseth should resign if he orders a strike against the two men.
“If the reports are true, it is highly likely that Pete Hegseth committed a war crime when he illegally ordered the killing of helpless survivors of U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean,” Rosen, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.
Many of the committee’s Democratic members have served in the military, and some experts have already called on Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly release an opinion from the Office of General Counsel laying out the legal basis for the strike, as some experts have raised concerns that the strike could be illegal.
At a press briefing Monday, Levitt said President Donald Trump and Hegseth “have made it clear that the narco-terrorist groups designated by the President can be lethal targets under the laws of war.”
The press secretary would not confirm whether there were two survivors left from the first attack or whether the second attack was intended to kill them.
Media reports that Hegseth gave the order to kill everyone on board the vessel during the September 2 strike have again raised concerns about the legality of U.S. military attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
Hegseth called the report’s accusations “manipulated, inflammatory and derogatory.” He tweeted Monday that Admiral Bradley is an American hero, a true professional and has my 100% support.
“I support him and the combat decisions he made during the September 2 mission and all subsequent missions.”
In recent weeks, the United States has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean as part of its anti-drug operations.
President Trump warned Thursday that U.S. efforts to stop Venezuela’s “overland” drug trafficking would begin “very soon.”
Over the weekend, the Senate Armed Services Committee said it would “conduct thorough oversight to determine the facts” related to the Sept. 2 strike.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the committee, said Monday that lawmakers planned to interview “the admiral who was in charge of the operation.” He added that they were also looking for audio and video “to verify the content of the orders.”
The House Armed Services Committee also said it would lead “bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operations in question.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comprised of the highest-ranking U.S. military officers, met with both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees last weekend.
The group said discussions centered on operations in the area and “the intent and legality of the mission to disrupt illicit trafficking networks.”
Several experts interviewed by the BBC raised serious doubts about whether a second strike against alleged survivors could be considered legal under international law. The survivors may have had the protection afforded to shipwrecked sailors, or the protection afforded to troops unable to continue the fight.
The Trump administration said the operation in the Caribbean was a non-international armed conflict against suspected drug traffickers.
The rules of engagement in these armed conflicts, as set out in the Geneva Conventions, prohibit targeting injured participants and instead say those participants must be captured and treated.
Under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. military came under scrutiny for its “double tap” practice of firing multiple bullets from drones, which sometimes resulted in civilian casualties.
Venezuela’s National Assembly on Sunday condemned the boat strike and pledged to conduct a “rigorous and thorough investigation” into the September 2 strike.
Venezuela’s government has accused the United States of fomenting tensions in the region with the goal of overthrowing the government.
Venezuelan Justice Minister Tarek William Saab told BBC Newsnight on Monday that Trump’s claims were motivated by “great jealousy” over Venezuela’s natural resources.
He also called for direct dialogue between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments “to address the toxic atmosphere we have witnessed since July of last year.”
President Trump confirmed in a brief phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday that he had pressured him to resign and leave the country with his family.
In a phone call last month, Trump reportedly told Maduro he could go to any destination of his choice, but only if he agreed to leave immediately. President Trump refused, posting on social media that Venezuelan airspace should be considered “completely closed.”
Maduro has asked for a pardon for his top aides and for the military to be allowed to retain control even after it abandons the government. Trump rejected both demands, according to the Miami Post and Reuters, which the BBC reported did not confirm.
US officials have claimed that Maduro himself is part of a ‘terrorist’ organization called the ‘Cartel of the Sun’, which they say also includes senior Venezuelan military and security officials involved in drug trafficking. Maduro has denied these claims.
With additional reporting by Lucy Gilder and Thomas Copeland.
