In a sharp escalation of U.S. anti-drug and paramilitary operations in the Caribbean and off the coast of Venezuela, a new investigative report alleges that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered that nobody be spared during a September 2 missile strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel — including a follow-up attack on survivors in the water.
What the Report Says
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According to sources cited by The Washington Post, during the Sept. 2 attack — carried out by the elite SEAL Team 6 under the command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) — Hegseth allegedly gave a clear verbal order: “kill everybody” aboard the vessel.
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When two people survived the first strike and were seen clinging to the wreckage, a second strike was reportedly ordered to ensure no survivors remained.
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The operation was part of an intensified campaign against suspected drug-trafficking boats, which the administration argues are part of a broader “narco-terrorist” threat.
Why Many Lawmakers and Legal Experts Call the Alleged Order a War Crime
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Members of Congress from both parties — including Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen, Mark Kelly and Ed Markey — have warned that if the report’s claims are true, the order could amount to a war crime.
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Legal experts argue that launching a follow-up strike on survivors — individuals no longer posing an imminent threat — violates international humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict.
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One former legal adviser described killing surrendered or incapacitated individuals as “an order to show no quarter,” which international law prohibits.
Reaction in Congress and Government
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The chair and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee pledged “vigorous oversight” to verify the facts behind the strike and the alleged order to kill survivors.
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Some lawmakers, while not yet convinced the report is fully accurate, argue that even the possibility of such an order — if true — demands a full investigation and accountability.
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Meanwhile, the Pentagon has described the overall strike campaign as lawful under both U.S. and international law. Hegseth and the White House have vehemently denied the specific allegation that a “kill-everyone” order was given.
If verified, the alleged order — and the killing of survivors — could represent one of the most severe breaches of international law by U.S. military leadership in recent decades. It raises profound questions about oversight, transparency, and accountability when the U.S. conducts lethal operations against suspected non-state actors outside a formally declared war.
The case could also have diplomatic consequences: according to a separate report, the legislature of Venezuela has announced it will open an investigation into U.S. boat strikes in its coastal waters — a development that could further strain relations between Washington and Caracas.