US Lawmakers Seek Clarity on Alleged Military Strikes Against Venezuelan Drug Boats

Tue Dec 02 2025 22:45:18 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Lawmakers demand accountability from the Trump administration over claims of a second strike ordered on survivors of a military operation against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.

Following a report by The Washington Post revealing that a US-led military operation may have included a second strike to eliminate survivors of an initial attack on a Venezuelan drug boat, US lawmakers are calling for rigorous oversight and accountability. The incident raises serious legal questions regarding the conduct of US military operations in international waters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump have defended the actions, stating they comply with lawful operations.

US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, after a report alleged that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack.

Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct 'vigorous oversight' into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report.

On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on 2 September left two survivors, but that a second attack was carried out to comply with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders to 'kill everybody' on board - raising fresh legality questions.

Hegseth decried the report as 'fake news'.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he believed his defence secretary '100%'.

In recent weeks, the US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, as part of what it calls an anti-narcotics operation.

More than 80 people have been killed since early September.

The Trump administration says it is acting in self-defence by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US.

In its report on Friday, which has not been verified by the BBC, The Washington Post wrote that Secretary Hegseth 'gave a spoken directive' to 'kill everybody' on board one such vessel, and a Special Operations commander overseeing the operation 'ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth's instructions'.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers appearing on US talk shows on Sunday expressed support for congressional reviews of the boat strikes. They acknowledged the need for a thorough investigation into the reported actions.

In a post on X, Hegseth pushed back against accusations against him, calling them 'fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory'. He stated that the strikes were 'lawful under both US and international law'.

On Sunday, Venezuela's National Assembly condemned the boat strikes and vowed to carry out a 'rigorous and thorough investigation' into the accusations of a second attack that allegedly killed two survivors.

The Venezuelan government has accused the US of stoking tensions in the region, aiming to topple the government.

The US is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, complicating the legal framework surrounding these military actions. Legal experts suggest that while force can be used to stop a boat, it should usually involve non-lethal measures.