"For weeks, we've been mired in a public debate about whether blasting shipwrecked castaways in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean is a war crime. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has overseen more than 20 missile strikes since September that have killed over 80 people; usually eager to flaunt the administration's "warrior ethos," he is suddenly hesitant to take responsibility. After a missile attack he had authorized killed 11 alleged smugglers on September 2,"
"At issue was increased scrutiny of footage of the strike, reportedly showing two survivors of the initial bombing waving at the sky as they clung, shirtless, to the hull of their capsized vessel while Bradley conferred with a lawyer before ultimately ordering the second missile, which killed them. Democratic representative Jim Himes of Connecticut called it "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.""
"The Trump administration claims such drugs are weapons foreigners use to kill Americans, though fentanyl, by far the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S., predominantly does not enter the country by sea or from South America. But Donald Trump has not tried to obfuscate his ulterior - or, rather, primary - motive: setting the stage for military action against Venezuela, whose president, Nicolás Maduro, he has long sought to depose."
More than 20 U.S.-authorized missile strikes since September have killed over 80 people in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth oversaw the operations and gave contradictory accounts about his involvement. Footage reportedly shows survivors clinging to a capsized hull before a second missile struck following discussions by Admiral Frank Bradley with legal counsel. Officials justify the strikes as drug interdiction, though fentanyl largely does not enter by sea from South America. The operations align with a concurrent objective to prepare for military action against Venezuela, prompting bipartisan concern and scrutiny.
Read at Intelligencer
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