Overview
- Press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged a follow-up hit after the initial Sept. 2 strike and said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized Admiral Frank Bradley, who directed the engagement.
- Hegseth rejected a Washington Post report that he ordered forces to ‘kill everybody,’ while the White House maintained the operation complied with U.S. and international law.
- Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees announced bipartisan inquiries, seeking facts about the follow-on strike and the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel opinion.
- President Trump said he believes Hegseth and would review the incident, confirmed a call with Nicolás Maduro, warned of tightened pressure including a declared closed airspace, and scheduled a meeting with Marco Rubio and Hegseth on next steps.
- U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 strikes that killed over 80 suspected traffickers under Operation Southern Spear, as legal experts warn a verified attack on survivors could constitute a war crime.