🔗 Share this article US Admiral to Update Lawmakers as Bipartisan Examination Intensifies Over Boat Strike A senior US Navy officer is set to deliver a classified briefing to congressional members overseeing the military this week, as investigators probe a US attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which allegedly struck a craft transporting drugs, allegedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any remaining individuals. Administration Defends Actions as Self-Defense The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the second strike was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with laws pertaining to armed conflict. Cross-party scrutiny has mounted over a account that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in September to strike the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the allegations, initially disclosed recently, could amount to a war crime, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the attack on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and eastern Pacific Ocean. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the operation to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the danger to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the first strike. Her explanation came following former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when asked about the event. Growing Legislative Concern and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2 mission and all others since.” A month after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been growing in Congress, but details of this follow-on strike stunned many legislators from both parties and sparked stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s report was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the reported targeting of survivors of an initial missile strike presented serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The White House commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday strongly supported Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those two men,” Trump stated. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have expressed some concerns about the allegations over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the chair of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the bipartisan leaders leading the Congressional military committees. He restated “his faith in the seasoned commanders at every level”, Caine’s spokesperson stated in a statement. The release added that the call focused on “addressing the intent and legality of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the security and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders React and Pledge Probe The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on the week's start broadly defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were essential to stop the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,” he remarked of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” Following the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “fake news is producing more false, inflammatory, and derogatory coverage to undermine our incredible service members working to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the rules of war – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth stated. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the video of the attack and testify under oath about what transpired. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he said, noting that the implications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd engagement was one in a series carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the buildup of a fleet of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the biggest US aircraft carrier. Over eighty individuals were killed in the strikes.
A senior US Navy officer is set to deliver a classified briefing to congressional members overseeing the military this week, as investigators probe a US attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. The incident, which allegedly struck a craft transporting drugs, allegedly involved a second engagement that eliminated any remaining individuals. Administration Defends Actions as Self-Defense The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday stated that the second strike was carried out “as a defensive action” and in compliance with laws pertaining to armed conflict. Cross-party scrutiny has mounted over a account that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order in September to strike the vessel. Democratic lawmakers have said the allegations, initially disclosed recently, could amount to a war crime, and GOP members have also voiced their apprehensions about the legality of the attack on 2 September. The House and Senate military oversight panels have initiated inquiries into the recent US armed engagements on vessels in the Caribbean region and eastern Pacific Ocean. “The Defense Secretary directed the naval commander to execute these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt. “The commander acted well within his mandate and the legal framework, directing the operation to guarantee the vessel was neutralized and the danger to the United States of America was eliminated.” In her remarks to the press, Leavitt did not challenge the report that there were survivors after the first strike. Her explanation came following former President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that – not a second strike” when asked about the event. Growing Legislative Concern and Administration Backing Late on Monday, Hegseth wrote online: “Adm Mitch Bradley is an national hero, a consummate professional, and has my full and complete backing. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made – on the September 2 mission and all others since.” A month after the engagement, Bradley was elevated from head of Joint Special Operations Command to commander of US Special Operations Command. Concern over the administration’s armed actions against suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels has been growing in Congress, but details of this follow-on strike stunned many legislators from both parties and sparked stark questions about the lawfulness of the attacks and the broader policy in the region, particularly toward Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s report was accurate, and some GOP senators were doubtful. Nevertheless, they stated the reported targeting of survivors of an initial missile strike presented serious concerns and deserved additional investigation. White House and Pentagon Officials Affirm Position The White House commented after the commander-in-chief on Sunday strongly supported Hegseth. “Secretary Hegseth said he did not command the killing of those two men,” Trump stated. He continued, “And I believe him.” Leavitt noted Hegseth had spoken with congressional representatives who may have expressed some concerns about the allegations over the past few days. General Dan Caine, the chair of the military's top officers, also spoke over the weekend with the bipartisan leaders leading the Congressional military committees. He restated “his faith in the seasoned commanders at every level”, Caine’s spokesperson stated in a statement. The release added that the call focused on “addressing the intent and legality of missions to interrupt illicit trafficking networks which endanger the security and security of the western hemisphere”. Legislative Leaders React and Pledge Probe The top Senate Republican, John Thune, on the week's start broadly defended the operations, echoing the administration position that they were essential to stop the influx of illicit drugs into the US. Thune said the committees in the legislature would look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any judgments or deductions until you have all the facts,” he remarked of the September 2nd attack. “We’ll see where they lead.” Following the news article, Hegseth wrote on Friday that “fake news is producing more false, inflammatory, and derogatory coverage to undermine our incredible service members working to defend the homeland”. “Our ongoing missions in the region are legal under both American and global statutes, with all actions in accordance with the rules of war – and sanctioned by the most qualified military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command,” Hegseth stated. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, labeled Hegseth a “national embarrassment” over his response to detractors. Schumer demanded that Hegseth make public the video of the attack and testify under oath about what transpired. The Republican senator for Mississippi, Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate armed services committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers”. “We’ll discover the ground truth,” he said, noting that the implications of the report were “grave accusations”. The September 2nd engagement was one in a series carried out by the US military in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific as Trump has ordered the buildup of a fleet of naval vessels near the Venezuelan coast, including the biggest US aircraft carrier. Over eighty individuals were killed in the strikes.