Congressional committees in both the House and Senate have opened bipartisan inquiries after media reports that a follow-up strike last September killed survivors of an earlier attack on a vessel suspected of carrying narcotics in the Caribbean.
The reports, based on interviews with multiple people familiar with the operation, say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered on Sept. 2 that everyone aboard a suspected narco-boat be killed. That order is described as the first of nearly two dozen boat strikes in the region since that date. According to the accounts, an initial strike left two people alive and a commander overseeing the mission then ordered a second strike intended to eliminate those survivors. These reports have not been independently verified.
Congressional response
Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, the top Republican and Democrat on the panel, said the committee has directed inquiries to the Department of Defense and will conduct vigorous oversight to determine the facts. The House Armed Services Committee issued a similar bipartisan statement saying it is committed to a full accounting of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean and is seeking documents and testimony related to the reported strikes.
Official statements and denials
The Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, issued a forceful denial of the narrative in question, calling it 'completely false' and defending ongoing operations in the region as successful efforts to dismantle narcotics networks. Defense Secretary Hegseth posted on X that the strikes were intended to be 'lethal, kinetic strikes' aimed at stopping deadly drugs, destroying narco-boats, and targeting traffickers he characterized as affiliated with designated terrorist organizations. He also asserted that current operations are lawful under U.S. and international law and have been reviewed by military and civilian legal advisers.
Wider context and concerns
The inquiries come amid escalating U.S. pressure on Venezuela and reports that nearly two dozen strikes in the region have killed at least 82 people. Members of Congress have expressed concern about a lack of information from the administration. Last month, President Donald Trump made remarks indicating his administration may not seek congressional authorization before targeting drug traffickers, saying, in reported comments, 'I think we're just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country' and 'We're going to kill them. They're going to be, like, dead.'
Both committees have signaled they will pursue documents, direct testimony from officials and other evidence as part of their oversight. The investigations aim to clarify the facts, assess legal authority and compliance with the law of armed conflict, and evaluate whether appropriate oversight and reporting to Congress occurred.
