The US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has vehemently dismissed recent reports suggesting that he may have unlawfully ordered military strikes that resulted in the deaths of individuals in the Caribbean. In a statement made on Friday evening, Hegseth labeled the allegations as “fake news” and emphasized that the military operations carried out were “lawful under both US and international law.”
Hegseth criticized the media for what he described as “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting,” aimed at undermining the credibility of the US military. This response follows a report from the Washington Post, which claimed that on September 2, Hegseth directed defense officials to “kill everybody” aboard a specific boat being monitored by intelligence analysts. This operation was reportedly the first of several strikes conducted under the Trump administration.
In light of the Washington Post’s revelations, two senators—Republican Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed—announced that the Senate Armed Services Committee would initiate an investigation into the series of strikes targeting boats in the Caribbean. They stated, “The Committee is aware of recent news reports and the Department of Defense’s initial response regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” They assured the public that they would conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the facts surrounding these military actions.
During the September 2 operation, which was executed by the elite counterterrorist unit, Seal Team 6, reports indicate that an initial missile strike left two survivors clinging to the wreckage of their boat. According to sources, Admiral Frank M “Mitch” Bradley, who heads the Special Operations Command, ordered a second missile strike to eliminate the survivors, allegedly acting on Hegseth’s orders. This has raised significant concerns among current and former US officials regarding the legality of the Trump administration's military operations in the Caribbean.
To date, these military strikes have resulted in over 80 fatalities, targeting at least 22 boats. Historically, the US government has focused on interdicting drug trafficking in the region, typically prosecuting those involved rather than resorting to lethal force. The Trump administration has claimed that individuals aboard these boats are primarily members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has drawn the administration's scrutiny.
Hegseth, in a social media post, articulated the administration's intent to “stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.” Earlier this year, the Trump administration labeled Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, while also accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles, a purported drug-trafficking group comprising high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
Despite the administration's assertions, experts on organized crime have pointed out that the Cartel de los Soles operates more as a loose network rather than a structured organization. Furthermore, lawmakers and narcotics experts have cast doubt on the administration’s claims linking these operations to fentanyl-related overdose deaths, noting that fentanyl does not originate from Venezuela.
Recent reports, including one from the Associated Press, have raised questions about the validity of the Trump administration's narrative surrounding these military strikes. The report highlighted the lives of several individuals killed during these operations, asserting that while some were involved in drug trafficking, they were not “narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel.” Venezuelan officials and representatives from other nations have condemned the strikes as violations of due process, with the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN describing them as “extrajudicial executions.”
The Trump administration has framed these strikes as a necessary self-defense measure against groups posing a direct threat to the US. According to reports, there have been few survivors from these operations, including one Ecuadorian man and one Colombian man, who were captured by US forces and subsequently returned to their home countries. A recent incident in October, involving a strike off the Pacific coast of Mexico, prompted the Mexican navy to initiate a search-and-rescue operation for potential survivors of the attack.