White House Defends Military Strikes on Venezuelan Drug Ship

The White House has confirmed that the Pentagon conducted a second military strike against a vessel suspected of drug smuggling from Venezuela, asserting that this action taken earlier in September was legal.

During a press briefing, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt noted that Army Secretary Pete Hegseth granted authorization to Admiral Frank Bradley for follow-up attacks after two individuals survived the first assault.

“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that narco-terrorist organizations identified by the president are open to lethal targeting under the laws of war,” Leavitt stated on Monday. “With regard to the incidents on September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth empowered Admiral Bradley to carry out these kinetic actions.”

Bradley, who leads U.S. Special Operations Command, allegedly operated within his legal authority, ensuring that the threat posed to the United States was neutralized.

This information followed a report from The Washington Post, which indicated that the commander of Joint Special Operations Command had authorized a second airstrike on a speedboat filled with 11 suspected narco-terrorists. This came after the first attack left two people clinging to debris. The report highlighted that Hegseth’s directive was explicit: “The order is to kill everyone.”

A second strike, intended to eliminate survivors, might be viewed as a war crime under international law, but the Trump administration maintains its stance that the action was enacted in “self-defense.”

“The airstrike on September 2nd was executed in self-defense to safeguard American citizens and our vital interests,” Leavitt explained in a prepared statement, adding that the operation adhered to the laws governing armed conflict.

She also reminded the public why these operations are deemed necessary, pointing out that President Trump has classified Nicolás Maduro’s narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist groups. This designation provides the military with the legal ground to target drug trafficking vessels.

“If they’re bringing illegal narcotics into the U.S. and causing immense harm, the president is justified in removing that threat, and that’s precisely what’s happening,” she said.

These remarks came after President Trump expressed skepticism regarding The Washington Post’s claim that Hegseth had ordered no survivors from the initial attack. “Pete said he didn’t command those two people to be killed, and I trust him,” Trump told reporters while returning to Washington from his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump mentioned that his administration would look further into the situation, although he emphasized that “it’s not a second attack, and we didn’t desire that.”

Reiterating his confidence in Hegseth, Trump stated, “He said he didn’t say that, and I believe him 100 percent.”

On Monday evening, Trump is scheduled to convene with his national security team to deliberate on the next steps regarding the Venezuelan crisis, with 11 U.S. warships and 15,000 troops positioned nearby.