White House: US Navy Ordered Second Strike on Venezuela Boat

The White House confirmed that a top US Navy commander ordered a second strike on a Venezuelan drug boat after two survivors were spotted.

sarah

Dec 2, 2025 - 13:59

White House: US Navy Ordered Second Strike on Venezuela Boat

The White House has confirmed that a top US Navy commander has ordered a second round of military strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat.

White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said on Monday, "Admiral (Frank) Bradley acted well within his authority and the law by ordering additional strikes."

Levitt confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had approved the strike, but did not order a "kill all" as reported by the Washington Post. According to the report, the second strike was carried out when two people survived the initial blast and were clinging to the burning vessel.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern over the report and promised a congressional review of the strike.

"President (Donald) Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that narco-terrorist groups designated by the President face lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war," Levitt said at Monday's press briefing.

The press secretary did not confirm whether the two survivors of the first strike survived, nor whether the second strike was intended to kill them.

Media reports have alleged that Hegseth ordered the killing of all aboard the ship during the September 2 attack, renewing concerns about the legality of US military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

Hegseth responded to the allegations in the report, calling them "fabricated, inflammatory, and defamatory." On Monday, he tweeted that Admiral Bradley "is an American hero, a true professional, and he has my 100% support."

"I stand by him and his combat decisions—both on the September 2nd mission and on all other missions since."

In recent weeks, the US has increased its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out several deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, in what it calls anti-narcotics operations.

More than 80 people have been killed in the attacks since the beginning of September.

The Trump administration maintains that it is acting in self-defense by destroying boats carrying illegal drugs into the US.

These strikes have also significantly escalated tensions with Venezuela. Trump has repeatedly stated that he is considering deploying US ground forces to the country.

They have also increased scrutiny among US lawmakers.

Over the weekend, the Senate Armed Services Committee said it was involved in "will closely monitor the attack to determine the facts."

Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the committee, said on Monday that lawmakers plan to interview the "admiral in charge of the operation." He added that they are also requesting audio and video to determine what orders were in place.

The Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives also said it would take "bipartisan action to gather a full account of this operation."

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a body of the highest-ranking military officers in the US, met with both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees over the weekend.

The group said the discussions centered around the operation in the area and "the intent and legal validity of the mission to disrupt illegal smuggling networks."

Multiple experts who spoke to have raised serious doubts that the second strike on alleged survivors could be considered legal under international law. The survivors may have been subject to protections provided to shipwrecked sailors, or to those given to troops who have been rendered unable to continue fighting.

The Trump administration has said its operations in the Caribbean is a non-international armed conflict with the alleged drug traffickers.

The rules of engagement in such armed conflicts - as set out in the Geneva Conventions - forbid the targeting of wounded participants, saying that those participants should instead be apprehended and cared for.

Under former-President Barack Obama, the US military came under scrutiny for firing multiple rounds from drones, in a practice known as the "double tap", that sometimes resulted in civilian casualties.

On Sunday, Venezuela's National Assembly condemned the boat strikes and vowed to carry out a "rigorous and thorough investigation" into the 2 September strikes.

The Venezuelan government has accused the US of stoking tensions in the region, with the aim of toppling the government.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Trump's allegations stem from "great envy" for the country's natural resources.

He also called for a direct dialogue between the US and Venezuelan governments, "to clear the toxic atmosphere we have witnessed since July of last year".

On Sunday, Trump confirmed that he had held a brief phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in which he pressured him to resign and leave Venezuela with his family.