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 September 2 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 expressed complete trust in him.
The US has increased its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out numerous strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia as part of its anti-narcotics operation.
Since early September, more than 80 individuals have been killed. The Trump administration asserts that its actions are in self-defense against boats transporting illicit drugs to the US.
Lawmakers from both parties have indicated that they support congressional reviews of military actions against vessels suspected of drug trafficking.
Democrat Senator Tim Kaine described the follow-up attacks as potentially qualifying as 'war crimes' if proven true, while Republican Mike Turner emphasized the seriousness of illegal military conduct.
The Senate Armed Services Committee announced plans for oversight into the strikes, prompting bipartisan calls for accountability.
In a response, Hegseth has stated that the strikes were lawful and aimed at disrupting terrorist-affiliated trafficking.
Meanwhile, Venezuela's National Assembly has vowed for a thorough investigation, accusing the US of escalating regional tensions and complicity in instability efforts aimed at their government.
As the situation unfolds, both domestic and international implications of US military strategy in this context raise critical questions regarding legal and ethical warfare standards.
