US Congress Demands Clarity on Alleged Military Strikes in Venezuela

Fri Dec 05 2025 06:11:26 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In light of pressing concerns regarding the legality of military strikes on Venezuelan drug boats, US lawmakers are calling for investigations into the administration's actions. The controversy centers around a reported directive to eliminate survivors of an initial strike.

Amidst allegations of US military strikes targeting drug boats in Venezuelan waters, lawmakers from both parties are pushing for inquiries into the legality of these actions. Reports suggest that a subsequent strike was ordered to kill survivors from an earlier attack, raising serious ethical and legal questions. The Trump administration claims its operations are lawful under both US and international law, while Venezuela's government deems them provocative.

US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, after a report alleged that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack.

Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct vigorous oversight into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report.

On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on 2 September left two survivors, but that a second attack was carried out to comply with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders to kill everybody on board - raising fresh legality questions.

Hegseth decried the report as fake news.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he believed his defence secretary 100%.

In recent weeks, the US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, as part of what it calls an anti-narcotics operation.

More than 80 people have been killed since early September.

The Trump administration insists it is acting in self-defense by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US.

The report on the alleged directive from Secretary Hegseth has not been verified by major news outlets. Yet, it indicates he gave a spoken directive to kill everybody on board, with subsequent commands issued by a Special Operations commander.

The Trump administration has described its actions as justifiable within the framework of a non-international armed conflict with drug traffickers, although such actions could pose significant legal challenges regarding engagement rules as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions.

Lawmakers are calling for a thorough investigation, with some suggesting the actions, if accurate, could amount to a war crime.

""This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true,"" commented Senator Tim Kaine.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has expressed intent to delve into these allegations and has received bipartisan support for the initiative.

Defence Secretary Hegseth, in response to the accusations, labeled them as fabricated and reiterated the administration's commitment to lawful military action.

The Venezuelan government has condemned the strikes, claiming they intensify regional tensions and sought to implicate US motives in the alleged actions.