Fox News host Pete Hegseth claims he would have authorized a second strike on Caribbean ship

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly supported the September 2 strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, saying he “fully backs” the operation and “would have made the same call” himself.

Hegseth made the remarks on Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, reiterating his stance even as questions have arisen over the legality of the strike. A video of the attack was shown to members of Congress behind closed doors, depicting two survivors clinging to the wreckage after the vessel was destroyed. Both were shirtless, unarmed, and carried no visible communications equipment.

While Trump administration officials later clarified that Hegseth did not explicitly order a second strike, the attack followed his directive to neutralize the vessel. Admiral Frank Bradley, then head of the Joint Special Operations Command, stated that the wreckage needed to be destroyed to prevent it from hiding cocaine.

The September 2 strike was part of a wider US military campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific, targeting 22 suspected drug vessels. The operations have reportedly killed 87 people, including the two men from the September 2 strike.

Legal experts have raised concerns over whether the strike violated international law. The US Defense Department’s Law of War Manual prohibits attacks on shipwrecked or incapacitated individuals who are not engaging in hostilities, describing firing on such survivors as a “clearly illegal” order that should be refused.

The Trump administration has defended the strikes as part of a campaign against armed drug trafficking groups, citing the deadly impact of cocaine smuggling on Americans.

Hegseth declined to comment on whether the full video of the strike would be released, saying the issue is “under review.”