White House confirms Pete Hegseth authorized second strike on boat in Caribbean

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Monday, December 1, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized a controversial second strike on a boat in the Caribbean.

The admission followed a bombshell report claiming that Hegseth had ordered the military to "kill everybody" on board the vessel.

Leavitt addressed reporters at the White House press briefing, stating that Hegseth authorized Admiral Frank Bradley to carry out the follow-up attack on September 2.

The second strike allegedly killed two people who had survived the initial blast and were clinging to the burning debris of the vessel.

Karoline Leavitt frames strikes as war on ‘narco‑t******sts’

Leavitt emphasized that the administration viewed these operations as part of a war on "narco-t******sts" rather than standard law enforcement interdictions.

"President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narco-t******st groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war," Leavitt said.

The press secretary pushed back against allegations that the order amounted to a war crime.

She insisted that Admiral Bradley "worked well within his authority" to ensure that the threat was eliminated.

"With respect to the strikes in question on September 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," Leavitt stated.

She argued that the action was taken in self-defense to protect US interests and took place in international waters in accordance with the law of armed conflict.

However, the confirmation of the second strike fueled questions about the rules of engagement being employed in the Caribbean.

Critics argued that targeting survivors who were hors de combat (out of the fight) violated the Geneva Conventions, regardless of the 'narco-t******st' designation.

Pete Hegseth accused of 'kill everybody' order

The controversy stemmed from a Washington Post report that claimed Hegseth issued a verbal order to "kill everybody" before the initial engagement.

According to that report, the second strike was ordered specifically to comply with Hegseth’s directive after drone surveillance revealed there were survivors.

The administration denied the specific phrasing of the order but maintained that the "double-tap" strike was necessary to destroy the vessel completely.

Leavitt reiterated that the goal was to ensure "the threat to the United States of America was eliminated."

Hegseth himself took to social media over the weekend to denounce the reporting as "fake news," though he defended the lethality of the campaign.

"The declared intent is to stop lethal d**gs, destroy narco-boats, and kill the narco-t******st who are poisoning the American people," he wrote on X.

War on 'narco-t******st' escalates

Leavitt framed the aggressive military tactics as a necessary response to the f****nyl crisis.

She noted that the president had designated d**g t******kers as foreign t******st organizations (FTOs), granting the military broader rules of engagement than traditional coast guard interdictions.

"The president has the right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America, if they are bringing illegal n***otics that are killing our citizens at a record rate," Leavitt argued.

She contrasted the current approach with previous administrations, claiming that f*****nyl trafficking had reached levels capable of killing "every American, man, woman and child, many times over."

The administration's 'Operation Southern Spear' reportedly killed at least 80 alleged d**g t******kers in the Caribbean and Pacific regions since the initiative began in September.

Lawmakers demand answers on legality

Despite the administration's confidence, the confirmation of the second strike alarmed lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Senate Armed Services Committee leaders vowed to conduct 'vigorous oversight' to determine if the military is operating within the bounds of international law.

Some Democrats, including Senator Tim Kaine, suggested that if the "kill everybody" order was true, it would constitute a war crime.

Even some Republicans expressed skepticism about the tactical necessity of a second strike on survivors allegedly clinging to wreckage.

Leavitt, however, remained firm and stated that the strikes demonstrated why "the American public reelected this president and support this secretary of war."