The United States has "only just begun" targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Tuesday (December 2, 2025), despite a growing outcry over strikes that critics say amount to extrajudicial killings.
Mr. Hegseth and President Donald Trump's administration have come under fire particularly over an incident in which U.S. forces launched a follow-up strike on the wreckage of a vessel that had already been hit, reportedly killing two survivors.
White House says admiral ordered follow-on strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful
Both the White House and Pentagon have sought to distance Mr. Hegseth from that decision — which some U.S. lawmakers have said could be a war crime — instead pinning the blame on the admiral who directly oversaw the operation.
"We've only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean, because they've been poisoning the American people," Mr. Hegseth said during a Tuesday cabinet meeting.
