On Monday, the White House supported a U.S. admiral’s choice to carry out several strikes against a purported Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat in September, asserting that he had the permission of U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite some critics raising concerns over the legality of targeting survivors.
According to The Washington Post, a second strike was authorized to eliminate two survivors from the first attack, following Hegseth’s directive that all individuals on board should be killed.
President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he would not have approved a second strike on the vessel and noted that Hegseth had refuted giving such an order.
However, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt explained on Monday that Hegseth did indeed authorize U.S. Admiral Frank Bradley to execute the strikes on September 2.
Leavitt emphasized that Bradley “operated well within his authority and the law.”
She further stated that the strike was carried out in self-defense to safeguard U.S. interests, occurred in international waters, and complied with the law of armed conflict.
“This administration has classified these narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations,” she added.
The White House stated that U.S. navy Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley, pictured here on October 3, acted ‘within his authority’ when he executed the order for a follow-up strike on a Venezuelan vessel. (Airman 1st Class Monique Stober/U.S. Special Operations Command/Handout/Reuters)
Since September, the U.S. military has conducted at least 19 strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America, resulting in the deaths of at least 76 individuals.
The legality of these strikes has been questioned, prompting both Republican and Democratic lawmakers to commit to investigating the matter.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Monday that a U.S. navy admiral ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in September, while asserting that the attack was lawful. The incident has drawn bipartisan scrutiny following a report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat.
Potentially ‘a war crime’
International humanitarian law forbids attacks on incapacitated combatants. The U.S. Defence Department’s Law of War Manual specifies that shipwrecked individuals cannot be intentionally harmed and must receive medical attention unless they display hostility or attempt to escape.
Laura Dickinson, a law professor at George Washington University, noted that most legal experts do not view the strikes on the boats as constituting armed conflict, meaning that lethal force would only be permissible as a last resort.
“It would constitute murder outside of armed conflict,” she stated. Even during a war, the killing of survivors “would likely be classified as a war crime.”
A collective of former military lawyers, known as the JAGs Working Group, labeled the order “clearly illegal,” asserting that military personnel are obligated to refuse it and that anyone who complies should face prosecution for war crimes.
On the social media platform X, Hegseth praised Bradley, referring to him as “an American hero” and expressing his “100% support.” Hegseth declared his backing for Bradley’s combat choices during that mission “and all others since.”
Trump discussed the ongoing pressure campaign against Venezuela with senior advisors during a later meeting on Monday, a senior U.S. official disclosed.
Trump has indicated the potential for U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. On Saturday, he suggested that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be regarded as “closed in its entirety,” but provided no further specifics, causing anxiety and confusion in Caracas.
Following a series of assaults on suspected ‘narco traffickers’ off the coast of Venezuela, the U.S. has sent its largest aircraft carrier to the area. For The National, CBC’s Eli Glasner discusses why President Trump’s display of force may extend beyond drug enforcement.
On Sunday, Trump confirmed that he had conversed with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. regards as an illegitimate leader. Trump refrained from sharing details about their discussion.
The Trump administration has been evaluating strategies to address what it has characterized as Maduro’s involvement in the distribution of illegal drugs that have resulted in American deaths. Maduro has denied any connections to the illicit drug trade.
Despite the Trump administration citing the supposed influx of drugs into the U.S. as legal justification for the strikes on vessels near Venezuela, Trump mentioned Friday he would pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. prison for aiding drug traffickers in transporting tons of cocaine into the U.S.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine described Trump’s choice to pardon Hernández as “stunning.”
“He was the head of one of the largest criminal organizations ever convicted in U.S. courts, and less than a year into his sentence, President Trump is granting him a pardon, indicating that President Trump is indifferent to narco-trafficking,” Kaine remarked on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Reuters has reported that the options being considered by the U.S. regarding Venezuela include efforts to unseat Maduro, and the U.S. military is ready for a new phase of operations following a significant military buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on suspected drug boats off the Venezuelan coast.
Trump has also authorized covert CIA activities within the country.