Hegseth denies seeing survivors before 2nd strike on Venezuelan drug boat

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said he did "not see survivors" before a controversial second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean. The second strike has alarmed both parties in US Congress and raised questions about whether US forces broke the rules of war.

The 2 September strike, which reportedly left two survivors clinging to a burning vessel before a second missile hit destroyed the boat, is now under scrutiny as lawmakers push for a full accounting of what occurred.

The White House has said the follow-on strike was authorised by Admiral Frank Bradley, then head of Joint Special Operations Command and now commander of US Special Operations Command.

HEGSETH POINTS TO FOG OF WAR AS CONTROVERSY BUILDS

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said he had watched the initial strike "live" but did not personally observe any survivors before leaving for another meeting.

"I did not personally see survivors," he said. "That thing was on fire and it exploded you can't see anything. This is called the fog of war."

Hegseth said he learnt "a couple of hours later" that Bradley had ordered the vessel sunk, and called it a "correct decision."

"We have his back," the defence secretary added.

The Washington Post first reported details of the second strike, sparking concern across both parties on Capitol Hill. The Senate Armed Services Committee has said it will conduct "vigorous oversight" into the incident.

TRUMP DEFENDS US NAVY ADMIRAL

President Donald Trump defended Bradley, although he insisted the White House had no prior knowledge of the follow-on strike.

"We didn't know about that," Trump said. "And I can say this: I want those boats taken out."

The administration has repeatedly framed the maritime strikes -- more than 80 people have been killed in similar operations across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since early September -- to cut off drug flows that contribute to overdose deaths in the United States.

On Tuesday, Trump again claimed the campaign had led to a "massive reduction" in trafficking, though he did not provide evidence.

Trump expanded on his approach in remarks during the same cabinet session, repeating his allegation that migrants and drug traffickers allowed into the US under the Biden administration have caused widespread harm.

"We're taking those son of a b****es out," he said, arguing that maritime strikes and additional land-based operations would drive overdose deaths "way down."

"We know the routes they take. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we're gonna start that very soon too," he added.

Congressmen from both parties have flagged concerns about the 2 September incident.

Admiral Bradley is expected to appear before congressional committees this week. His promotion to lead US Special Operations Command came one month after the incident.

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With inputs from agencies