U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staunchly defended the deadly military operations in the Caribbean on Friday. This statement followed a shocking report by The Washington Post and CNN, which alleged that two survivors of a vessel bombed off Venezuela's coast were executed on direct orders from the Pentagon.
The revelation sheds light on one of the most contentious episodes of the military operation sustained by Donald Trump's administration in the region. According to sources cited by both media outlets, eleven people were aboard the boat attacked on September 2. The initial missile nearly obliterated it, but a drone detected that two men were clinging to the wreckage, still alive.
Allegedly, it was then that the directive to "eliminate everyone" was issued.
This subsequent attack, carried out despite the survivors posing no immediate threat, represents the most sensitive aspect of operations already facing legal scrutiny in and outside the United States.
CNN notes that the Trump administration had never previously admitted to terminating survivors after a bombing.
In response, Hegseth issued a defiant statement on the social media platform X, accusing the press of concocting stories to "discredit" the military. He asserted that the actions are "highly effective" and "specifically lethal," targeting organizations that Washington labels as narcoterrorists.
He further emphasized that the strikes comply with both U.S. and international law, receiving approval from the Defense Department's legal advisors.
The starkness of Hegseth's rhetoric contrasts with the gravity of the journalistic report. If verified, the incident would set a significant precedent amidst the military escalation by the United States in the Caribbean. This involves over 7,000 troops, warships, and combat aircraft, increasing pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime, which Washington accuses of facilitating drug trafficking routes.
While the White House insists that its actions are aimed at preventing drugs capable of "killing thousands of Americans" from entering the country, the Venezuelan government condemns the actions as aggression, arguing that the deployment has political rather than anti-drug objectives.
The tension has turned the area into a hemispheric hotspot. However, the human detail of the September 2 attack -- two men who survived the initial strike and were allegedly executed from the air -- now disrupts the official narrative.
So far, neither the Pentagon nor the Trump administration has provided concrete explanations regarding the fate of those two survivors. Hegseth, however, remains steadfast, vowing to "always" support the involved military personnel.