Overview

• Officials briefed on the Sept. 2 operation told reporters the boat turned after spotting an aircraft and was hit repeatedly even after being disabled, details not shown in the video shared by President Donald Trump.
• Two American officials said some people survived an initial blast and were then killed in a subsequent strike, with multiple sources, including Sen. Rand Paul, indicating drones carried out the attack.
• Multiple sources said U.S. Special Operations Command may have conducted the mission, which SOCOM declined to confirm, a role described as unusual given other assets in the region.
• The White House defends the strike as self-defense under a new framework treating cartels as terrorist groups, while legal experts and former military lawyers dispute the claim and question the lack of public evidence.
• Only a small group of congressional staffers received classified briefings, with no lawmakers present, and senators from both parties are pressing for the underlying intelligence and legal rationale.