The United States military said it killed four people on Thursday in an attack on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, part of an operation that has left at least 87 people dead.
“Intelligence confirmed that the ship was carrying illegal narcotics and was transiting a known narco-trafficking route in the eastern Pacific,” US Southern Command said in a statement.
In a video posted by the US military, a large explosion is seen aboard a small boat sailing across the water. The camera then zooms out to show that the ship is surrounded by flames and smoke.
The Army, using the new title for Secretary of Defense, said the attack was conducted “at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.”
MPs were informed about the strike of September 2
The latest attack comes as Hegseth and the Trump administration face criticism for a similar attack in early September, in which survivors of the initial blast were killed in a second attack.
Legal experts have said that such “double tap strikes” may violate the laws of military war.
On Thursday, delegates received a classified briefing on the September 2 operation. The roles of Hegseth and Admiral Frank Bradley, who oversaw the mission, were under scrutiny.
Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters that the footage was “one of the most disturbing things” he has seen and showed “the United States military attacking the sailors of the ship.”
Republican Representative Don Bacon said on CNN that the US actions were not in accordance with the rules of war.
“The rule is they have to pose an imminent threat,” Bacon said. “And I think we can say that he poses no imminent threat to our country.”
However, Republican Senator Tom Cotton defended the military action.
The Admiral says there has been no order from Hegseth to kill survivors
Thursday’s sessions came after a report that Admiral Bradley ordered a follow-up attack to comply with Hegseth’s demands in which the survivors were executed.
However, Bradley told lawmakers that there was no order from Hegseth to kill all crew members.
Democrats are demanding the release of the full video of the Sept. 2 attack, as well as written records of Hegseth’s orders and any instructions about the mission.
He said no written order or audio of the oral order was shared with the legislature.
Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the Trump administration has repeatedly rejected his requests for basic information about the operation.
The Trump administration has defended the broader campaign as part of anti-narcotics operations, even as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described the US military operation as part of an effort to change the government in the South American country.
Edited by: Zack Crellin