Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to commit to releasing video of a second missile strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, sparking controversy over the ethics of the attack.
When asked during a Q&A session at a defense forum if the Pentagon would release footage of the September 2 operation, which killed 11 people and targeted survivors of a previous strike, Hegseth said "we're reviewing the process, and we'll see." He emphasized that any decision to release the video would require careful consideration.
The strike in question was part of a series of attacks on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which have resulted in at least 87 deaths in 22 vessel strikes. The Pentagon has released unclassified video of these strikes, but Hegseth's noncommittal response has raised questions about the transparency surrounding the operation.
The White House had confirmed that a second missile was launched on the boat, killing two survivors, but both Hegseth and the administration have denied that he ordered the strike. Navy Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who led the September 2 mission, claimed responsibility for the second strike in a closed-door briefing with congressional lawmakers.
However, during his speech on Saturday, Hegseth vehemently denied having issued a kill order on survivors, describing the reporting as "meant to create a cartoon of me and the decisions that we make." Despite this, he acknowledged supporting the original strike, which killed 11 people.
The two surviving victims were attempting to climb back onto the boat before being struck by the second missile. Experts have raised concerns about whether the second strike may constitute a war crime. The Trump administration has so far provided no evidence that the vessels were trafficking drugs, releasing only unclassified footage of the strikes.
President Trump expressed support for the release of all footage related to the September 2 strikes, but Pentagon Chief Hegseth remained noncommittal when asked about the video's release. "We are reviewing it right now," he said.
When asked during a Q&A session at a defense forum if the Pentagon would release footage of the September 2 operation, which killed 11 people and targeted survivors of a previous strike, Hegseth said "we're reviewing the process, and we'll see." He emphasized that any decision to release the video would require careful consideration.
The strike in question was part of a series of attacks on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, which have resulted in at least 87 deaths in 22 vessel strikes. The Pentagon has released unclassified video of these strikes, but Hegseth's noncommittal response has raised questions about the transparency surrounding the operation.
The White House had confirmed that a second missile was launched on the boat, killing two survivors, but both Hegseth and the administration have denied that he ordered the strike. Navy Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who led the September 2 mission, claimed responsibility for the second strike in a closed-door briefing with congressional lawmakers.
However, during his speech on Saturday, Hegseth vehemently denied having issued a kill order on survivors, describing the reporting as "meant to create a cartoon of me and the decisions that we make." Despite this, he acknowledged supporting the original strike, which killed 11 people.
The two surviving victims were attempting to climb back onto the boat before being struck by the second missile. Experts have raised concerns about whether the second strike may constitute a war crime. The Trump administration has so far provided no evidence that the vessels were trafficking drugs, releasing only unclassified footage of the strikes.
President Trump expressed support for the release of all footage related to the September 2 strikes, but Pentagon Chief Hegseth remained noncommittal when asked about the video's release. "We are reviewing it right now," he said.
i'm low-key worried about this whole situation tho... releasing footage of the second missile strike sounds like a no-brainer, but Pete Hegseth is being super extra 
about it. 87 deaths in 22 vessel strikes and he's just "reviewing the process"?? 
that doesn't sound like transparency to me... 
we deserve some answers, especially when innocent people lost their lives. and let's be real, if they're really worried about war crimes, they should've released the footage sooner 
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. I mean, we already know 2 people died and they were just tryin to get back on the boat... if that's not a war crime then what is? 
. I think it's only right they release it so we can see what really went down 
this is so messed up dude... defense secretary pete hegseth is refusing to release footage of another missile strike that killed like 2 people who were trying to get back on their boat 
what if it was a war crime? the fact that he's being all secretive about it and not even confirming or denying it is super sketchy 
It's all super sketchy. And I mean I get it, transparency can be important, but come on, 87 deaths already? That's a lot of lives lost over some alleged drug-running boats... 
. And what's with all these denials from him and the White House? It's time to get real about this, Secretary Hegseth! We need to know what really went down on that boat 
️.
. Can't help but feel like the truth is being kept under wraps 
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But at the same time, we got this Admiral Frank claimin' responsibility for the second strike... that don't sit right with me. And what's up with the Trump admin sayin' those vessels weren't traffickin' drugs? They just released some vids and called it a day... seems like more info's needin' to come out about this. Can't help but wonder if there's somethin' fishy goin' on here... 
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anyway i'm keeping an eye on this one, hope they come clean soon 
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I'm also super curious about what's really going on with these alleged "drug-running boats"... are they even being used for that, or is it just some cover story? 
. I'm not saying he's hiding something, but at least some transparency would be nice 
. Maybe they should just tell us what really happened instead of being all vague about it 
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So why are they being so tight-lipped? It feels like they're trying to cover something up 
. I don't know if we should be making these attacks in the first place. It feels like we're just poking around in dark waters, not really knowing what we're doing 
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meanwhile we're over here debating if they should release the footage or not... anyway, did u see the stats on maritime attacks by the US? like 87 deaths in 22 vessel strikes 
that's some crazy stuff! 
apparently, there are still some issues with this though... what do u think? should we release the footage or not?