The Trump administration carried out another deadly strike on a suspected narco-terrorist vessel Thursday, killing four men believed to be smuggling drugs toward the United States. The strike, ordered by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, brings the total number of destroyed drug boats to 23 since September, with at least 87 suspected traffickers eliminated.
U.S. Southern Command released unclassified footage of the latest operation, stating that “intelligence confirmed” the targeted boat was loaded with illicit narcotics and operating in the Eastern Pacific.
On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and… pic.twitter.com/pqksvxM3HP
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 4, 2025
As the war on cartel smuggling intensifies, Hegseth is facing mounting attacks from Democrats in Congress, who claim he crossed the line during a previous strike. According to a Washington Post report citing anonymous sources, Hegseth allegedly ordered a second missile strike on a capsized boat — with survivors still clinging to the wreckage — and told subordinates to “kill them all.”
The story has sparked calls for accountability from the left. But Navy Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley testified Thursday that the War Secretary issued no such order. “He was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) told reporters.
Democratic Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), after reviewing video of the strike, claimed it showed “two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water.” He alleged the order was to “destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat.”
Senator Cotton, however, said the video revealed two survivors actively trying to flip the boat back over and recover the drug cargo.
“I saw two survivors trying to flip a boatload of drugs back over so they could stay in the fight,” Cotton said. “We’d also heard of other narco-terrorist boats in the area coming to aid them — to recover the cargo and the traffickers.”
The online response has been fierce. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet posted: “Every new attack aimed at Pete Hegseth makes me want another narco drug boat blown up and sent to the bottom of the ocean.”
Hegseth replied, “Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat.”
Some Republicans have joined in the criticism. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) argued that the second strike may have targeted “distressed, shipwrecked or incapacitated people.” He called for the full video to be released so the American public could judge for themselves.
Hegseth, speaking during a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, said he watched the live feed during the strike but didn’t see survivors.
“The thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire and smoke. You can’t see it,” he said. “This is called the fog of war.”
The post U.S. Takes Out More Suspected ‘Narco-Terrorists’ As Hegseth Defends Against ‘War Crime’ Accusations appeared first on Real News Now.
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