Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pointed to what he called “the fog of war” to defend a follow-up military strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, which reportedly killed survivors of the initial attack.
“I didn’t personally see survivors,” Hegseth told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday. “The thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire and smoke. You can’t see it.”
He added, “This is called the fog of war.”
In September, U.S. forces conducted a strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea suspected of smuggling drugs, then ordered a second strike after the first on the boat failed to kill all of the vessel’s occupants, one U.S. official and a source familiar with the Pentagon’s actions that day told NBC News.
The boat was carrying a total of 11 individuals, the Pentagon said at the time of the strike. Since then, the U.S. has conducted more than 20 strikes on purported drug vessels it says are carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing more than 80 people.
In response, bipartisan lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have started inquiries into the strikes, which critics have said could constitute a war crime.
Hegseth’s comments come as Trump and the White House have stepped into defend him amid scrutiny over the attack. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said that Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank Bradley to order the strikes.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Courtney Kube and Gordon Lubold contributed.