The White House said its September airstrike on a suspected drug boat was carried out in “self-defense.”
The double-tap airstrike has been heavily criticized, with some opponents of the Trump administration calling the decision to circle back and attack survivors of the initial strike a war crime. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared that Admiral Frank Bradley gave the order for a second strike and was “well within his authority and the law.”
“President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated Narco terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt said.
A report from the Washington Post revealed that Hegseth ordered his subordinates to “kill them all” ahead of the September 2 operation. Hegseth called the report “fake news” last week and said the attack was legal under U.S. and international law.
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“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” he wrote on X. “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”
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