The White House has publicly confirmed that a second U.S. strike on a Venezuelan-linked boat in the Caribbean on September 2 was authorised by a senior naval commander acting under the direction of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and insisted the operation fell within established self-defence and international-law parameters.

The acknowledgment follows growing scrutiny over reports that the follow-up strike killed survivors who had lived through the initial missile attack.

According to the administration, the vessel was assessed as part of a narco-terrorist network and posed an ongoing threat to U.S. personnel engaged in maritime interdiction.

Admiral Frank M. Bradley, who heads U.S. Special Operations Command, approved the second strike after receiving what officials described as lawful authorisation from Hegseth.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the operation was conducted “within the law of armed conflict,” arguing that the survivors remained part of an active hostile threat.

The confirmation has intensified calls on Capitol Hill for transparency.

Lawmakers from both parties are demanding access to operational footage, radio communications, and Justice Department legal opinions that underpinned the decision-making.

Several senators have warned that if the survivors were hors de combat — no longer capable of fighting — the attack could violate domestic statutes and international humanitarian law.

Senior defence officials have also expressed unease over possible legal liability.

Some within the military worry the administration’s framing could shift responsibility onto commanders while shielding civilian leadership, particularly as human-rights groups and several foreign governments describe the incident as extrajudicial and press for an independent investigation.

The episode forms part of Operation Southern Spear, the administration’s expanded maritime counter-narcotics campaign launched in September.

U.S. forces have carried out more than two dozen strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific under the operation, resulting in numerous fatalities.

With the White House now formally acknowledging the second strike, the debate over the boundaries of force in maritime interdiction is expected to sharpen, placing both legal and diplomatic pressure on the ongoing campaign.