Overview
- Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice Admiral Frank Bradley ordered a follow-on strike on September 2 to ensure the vessel was destroyed and the threat removed, asserting he acted within his authority and the law.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected a Washington Post report of a verbal 'no survivors' order as fabricated and insisted the operations comply with U.S. and international law after review by military and civilian lawyers.
- President Trump voiced confidence in Hegseth, said he would not have wanted a second strike, and scheduled a meeting with his national security team to review ongoing Caribbean operations and possible next steps regarding Venezuela.
- Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees launched inquiries, with Senator Tim Kaine saying the reported actions could constitute a war crime if confirmed and Representative Mike Turner calling such conduct illegal if it occurred.
- Venezuela’s National Assembly opened its own probe and acknowledged Venezuelan deaths, as reporting tallied roughly two dozen U.S. strikes since September and more than 80 fatalities, while UNODC data show the Pacific as the dominant cocaine route to the U.S., raising strategic questions about a Caribbean focus.