The U.S. military destroyed another vessel suspected of narcotics in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing all four crew members in the 22nd such deadly operation since September.
The attack, personally overseen by Army Secretary Pete Hegseth, pushed the confirmed death toll in the campaign to 87 people and came amid explosive accusations that Hegseth had directed possible war crimes in previous attacks.
U.S. Southern Command released gun camera footage showing a small boat exploding into a fireball hundreds of miles from land.
The attack is the latest chapter in Operation Southern Spear, an aggressive air and sea strike operation launched by the Trump administration as a blow against what it calls “narcoterrorism.”
But many in Congress, international law experts and the Caracas government see darker motives. It is using the endless “war on drugs” as a cover for sustained pressure on Venezuela, whose sea and airspace are under the heaviest attacks.
At the center of the storm is Hegseth himself. Secret video of the campaign’s first major attack on September 2, which killed 11 people, shows two survivors clinging to floating debris for nearly an hour after the first missile strike.
A second missile then obliterated them. Sources said Hegseth gave clear instructions to his commanders to ignore legal warnings and “make sure no one survives.”
Many, including former U.S. military prosecutors, argue that the latest attacks are a clear violation of the laws of war, which prohibit attacks on individuals who are injured and incapacitated during wartime.
Since February’s purge of JAG officers under Hegseth, several senior Pentagon officials have resigned or been fired during Operation Boat Strike, including Navy JAG Vice Adm. Christopher French and Southcom commander Adm. Alvin Holsey. The resignations are reportedly tied to concerns over the legality of the strike and standards of evidence, with some officials being subpoenaed in a parliamentary investigation.
Bipartisan outrage grows – Sen. Rep. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) called it “unacceptable,” and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused Hegseth of lying and incompetence. Conservative Judge Andrew Napolitano is calling for the entire chain of command to be prosecuted.
The controversy has been further exacerbated by a recent Pentagon inspector general report confirming that Mr. Hegseth used the encrypted Signal app on his personal cell phone to transmit classified information about the strike. The violations have prompted separate parliamentary and criminal investigations.