• U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supports a second strike on a drug boat, stating he would make the same call.
• The Pentagon is reviewing whether to release video footage of the strikes that killed survivors.
• Concerns have been raised over the legality of the attacks, with some legal experts questioning potential war crimes.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California that he backs a September 2 decision to launch a second strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. He emphasized, “I fully support that strike; I would have made the same call myself,” despite facing scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding the operation, which resulted in significant casualties, according to Reuters and HuffPost.

During the forum, Hegseth declined to commit to releasing the video of the second attack, stating, "We're reviewing the process, and we'll see." This strike, which has drawn intense scrutiny, included an initial attack that killed eleven individuals, followed by a second missile targeting two survivors who were allegedly attempting to return to the stricken vessel. The White House confirmed the second strike but has denied that Hegseth ordered it, according to CBS News and India Times.

Amidst rising claims of war crimes due to the strikes, Hegseth reiterated that Navy Admiral Frank Bradley was responsible for the second strike's authorization. He dismissed allegations that he had issued a kill order, labeling the claims as “patently ridiculous” and asserting that he would not give such an order. Legal experts continue to question the legality of the second missile strike on incapacitated individuals, citing the Defense Department's Law of War Manual, which forbids attacks on incapacitated combatants, according to Reuters, CBS News, and HuffPost.

As these events unfold, Hegseth has defended the broader campaign against suspected drug-trafficking boats, emphasizing that U.S. military operations aim to protect Americans from the drug trade. He stated, “We are killing them. We will keep killing them so long as they are poisoning our people with narcotics,” reflecting the administration's ongoing commitment to military action against drug smuggling, according to India Times and HuffPost.