NEW DELHI/Washington, D.C.: The White House on Monday defended a second fatal strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat, repeating its position that targets labelled “narco-terrorists” are subject to lethal force under U.S. policy.
When pressed about a controversial second strike in September that reportedly killed survivors of an initial attack on the suspected vessel, Press Secretary Leavitt said:
“If narco-terrorists are trafficking illegal drugs toward the US, he has the authority to KILL THEM.”
“THAT’S what this administration is doing!”
🚨 HOLY SMOKES! Karoline Leavitt just DROPPED THE MIC on all the Fake News trying to paint Pete Hegseth as a war criminal 🫳🎤
“If narco-terrorists are trafficking illegal drugs toward the US, he has the authority to KILL THEM.”
“THAT’S what this administration is doing!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wWXFDToqKk
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 1, 2025
Leavitt also clarified that the order for the second strike was given by Frank M. Bradley — then leading the U.S. Special Operations Command — not Pete Hegseth directly. “Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law,” she said.
According to the White House, the strikes on vessels alleged to be carrying narcotics were conducted “in international waters and in accordance with the law of armed conflict.”
But critics — including legal experts and some members of Congress — have condemned the operation as potential extrajudicial killings or war crimes, arguing that targeting survivors of a strike violates international law.
As investigations and calls for accountability mount, the debate over what constitutes legitimate self-defence — and when lethal force is permissible — remains sharply contested.
