Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said a strike in the eastern Pacific destroyed a suspected smuggling vessel in international waters, killing four people, and released a short video of the blast.
- In closed-door briefings, Adm. Frank M. Bradley told lawmakers he did not receive an order to show “no mercy” or “kill them all,” a claim some reports had previously suggested.
- Democrats and some Republicans called for the Pentagon to release the full, unredacted footage from the Sept. 2 Caribbean operation, with Sen. Jack Reed citing grave concerns after viewing clips.
- A newly released Pentagon oversight report found Secretary Pete Hegseth risked operational security by sharing sensitive details via Signal on a personal phone, even as a spokesman called the findings a complete exoneration.
- Media tallies now put deaths from the maritime campaign at roughly 80 to 90, drawing legal warnings over attacks on shipwrecked people, while U.S. officials defend the operations as lawful actions against “narco-terrorists” tied to Venezuela.