US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, following reports 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 a second attack was carried out to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders to 'kill everybody' on board.
Hegseth decried the report as 'fake news' and President Donald Trump said he believed him '100%.'
The US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and has 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, with more than 80 people killed since early September.
Republican and Democrat lawmakers appearing on Sunday talk shows expressed strong support for congressional reviews of US military strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean. They noted that while they didn't know if The Washington Post's report was true, the targeting of survivors raised severe legal concerns.
Senator Tim Kaine mentioned, 'This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true,' while Republican lawmaker Mike Turner noted Congress lacked information confirming the follow-up strike. Both emphasized the serious implications of targeting survivors.
The Senate Armed Services Committee announced plans for 'vigorous oversight' on the strikes after hearing the news reports. They directed inquiries to the Department of Defense to uncover the facts related to these operations, while the House Armed Services Committee pledged bipartisan efforts to gather a comprehensive account of the incidents.
In response to accusations of a second attack, Hegseth labeled them as 'fabricated,' claiming all strikes were lawful under US and international law, defending the use of lethal force against individuals linked to designated terrorist organizations.
President Trump supported Hegseth's position and stated, 'I wouldn't have wanted that - not a second strike.' Meanwhile, the Venezuelan National Assembly expressed outrage and announced plans for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
The US is not a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but its military advisors suggest that operations should comply with its guidelines. Exceptions regarding the use of force involve specific conditions which, according to experts, typically favor non-lethal measures.
