Spec ops chief ordered deadly Caribbean strike ‘in self-defense’ with Hegseth’s sign-off, White House says

By Fox News · Fox News

The White House confirmed and defended conducting a second strike against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean in September, amid the Trump administration’s crusade targeting the influx of drugs into the U.S. The White House’s statement comes after the Washington Post reported Friday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth verbally ordered that a Sept. 2 attack kill everyone on board the alleged drug boat, drawing scrutiny from lawmakers who are requesting additional oversight into the strikes. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat. Although the Pentagon pushed back against the report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny that a second strike occurred and told reporters Monday that the strike Sept. 2 was conducted "in self-defense" in international waters "in accordance with the law of armed conflict." HEGSETH SAYS US CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE IN EASTERN PACIFIC TARGETING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS The White House said Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike, but the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. "On September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes," Leavitt said. "Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated." When asked to confirm that Bradley was the one who ordered the second strike , Leavitt said that he was "well within his authority to do so," but declined to disclose whether the second strike was ordered because there were survivors remaining from the first strike. Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when a…