The White House has affirmed that a Navy admiral authorised a second lethal strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean in September 2025 — a move that killed survivors from the first attack — and insisted the operation complied with international law.

The admission has triggered a wave of concern on Capitol Hill and among legal experts, amid calls for comprehensive investigation and evidence release.

According to a statement from the administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised Frank M. Bradley, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, to carry out what the White House termed “kinetic strikes” on the vessel, suspected of transporting narcotics and linked to the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua.

The follow-up strike reportedly targeted two people who survived the initial missile attack and were adrift in the water.

Administration spokespeople, including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, have argued that the second strike was lawful and conducted in self-defence under the laws of armed conflict because of the alleged terrorist status of the boat’s occupants.

They maintained that Admiral Bradley acted within his authority and in full compliance with legal requirements, and that Hegseth’s approval rendered the mission legitimate.

Still, the operation has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who have pledged to investigate.

Members of Congress have demanded access to drone footage, radio logs, and legal authorisations — including Justice Department memos — that underpinned the decision to target survivors.

Officials say Bradley will deliver a classified briefing to congressional oversight committees later this week.

Prominent international-law scholars warn that striking survivors clinging to wreckage may constitute a war crime under both domestic and universal legal standards.

Many of the victims’ families, foreign governments and human-rights groups have described the killings as extrajudicial.

Some senior military officers have privately expressed concern that the legal and moral burden may fall on commanders and service members if the orders are challenged in court.

The strike is part of a broader campaign launched in September 2025 — dubbed Operation Southern Spear — under which U.S. forces have conducted at least two dozen maritime attacks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

According to the Department of Defense, more than eighty people have died in these operations.

As scrutiny intensifies, the administration’s messaging and legal rationale remain under sustained pressure from Congress, the courts and international observers.

With the first public confirmation of the second strike now made, it is clear the controversy will be a test of how the United States defines the boundaries of maritime counter-narcotics operations, and whether lethal force in international waters can be reconciled with the rule of law and respect for human rights.